


Smoke And Mirrors

by Sallsmum



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Magic, Secrets, body guards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 11:11:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 89,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14055696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sallsmum/pseuds/Sallsmum
Summary: Alec lightwood was an all business body guard with the Shadowhunter Agency. After years of successfully avoiding any celebrities, he gets landed with the biggest one there is, Magnus Bane, Magician and showman. When Magnus starts getting threatening letters and his car is vandalised, he's forced to procure Alec's services, much to both their disgust.Alec hadn't counted on being so greatly effected by the charismatic Mr Bane and both of them have big secrets that their growing attraction to each other is threatening to make them reveal all. Can they both have what they've always wanted in their lives or will emotions cloud judgement and make them more vulnerable then they ever thought possible.





	1. Chapter 1

Alec Lightwood walked up the front steps of the imposing steel and glass building that housed his next protection assignment. He fought hard against this one; he wasn’t into babysitting celebrities and guarding them against crazy exes or over zealous fans, he left that up to the other guys at Shadowhunters, the name of the agency he worked for. 

You know who would love this detail? His best pal Jace. This would be right up his alley. He’d only been griping a couple of days ago about getting a job that had a bit of excitement about it. Personally, Alec preferred the less flashy variety. Being someone who kept to himself as much as he could, he could never understand the need that some people had to push their way to the front of the crowd and yell “look at me!” every chance they got. Any one remotely famous seemed to be like that and this guy that he’d just been assigned to, was the CEO of Attitude Inc apparently. 

Alec cast an eye at his surroundings as he went inside. At least the huge panes of glass at the front of this building, even though they were tinted, allowed for an easy view of the street if need be. He nodded to the doorman as he pulled the large brass handle open for him. Typical, older guy, probably close to retirement looking for a job that wasn’t too taxing to while away the last few years of his working life, probably knew the names of everyone in the place, who their kids were, what their dog’s name was and more concerned with keeping the fingerprints off the shiny door handle then who he was letting inside. 

I could have been some hitman or ex-employee with a grudge against one of the well to do residents that had enough doe to fork out the multimillion-dollar price tag that one of these apartments go for, Alec thought to himself, and he made a mental note to mention that to the client. If he was going to get serious about security, it had to start right at street level. 

The lobby consisted of the concierge desk, a couple of doors behind that, the elevator bank and a seating area that held a couple of large white leather sofas and a glass coffee table. He gave the young guy behind the desk a nod and waited for him to pull him up and at least ask him who he was coming to see, but with each step towards the elevators, Alec gave up hope that it was going to happen. Strike two. Geez, he was on a real role here. 

He pressed the button that opened the doors and stepped aside for a woman carrying a small rat like dog that sported a flashy collar that probably cost more than he made in a year. Nice to know where you stood in the scheme of things, he thought to himself, giving his head a small shake.   
He got in the lift and pressed the button marked PH, knowing already that this guy lived right at the top. As the car ascended, he wondered if this was one of those places that put you right inside the top spot itself or if there would be a small entrance lobby of some kind. 

He hadn’t gotten too much information from his boss, Aldertree, before he left the office this afternoon. The guy needed someone, and he needed them now, no time for homework, this job would be a learn as you go type of affair. All Alec knew was his client was Magnus Bane, world famous magician and showman, known for his stunning stage shows and flashy fashion sense. Oh, and good looks, apparently. He’d been getting a few threatening letters, and someone had sabotaged his car last week, bad enough that his PA advised him to get help. 

The elevator came to a stop and the doors ‘dinged’ before they slid open and revealed the later of Alec’s guesstimates about the possible layout of the pent house. 

The small lobby had marble tiles on the floor and several works of art on the walls. A table with a huge arrangement of exotic looking flowers stood in the middle and the large set of double doors were behind it on the far wall. 

“Loading attitude in three……. Two………. One……” Alec said, under his breath as he walked up to the buzzer and pushed it. He could hear the faint regular thuds of the base of some kind of music coming from the other side of the door and wondered if he could hear it out here, how was it possible for them to know that he was at the door. 

He stood there for another minute before trying again and he’d no sooner taken his finger off the button when the door opened and a petite red headed woman with an arm full of paperwork stood before him.

“Yes? Oh no, don’t tell me, you’re the guy about the new set design.” She said, looking at him expectantly, and looking completely frazzled. 

“Ah, no I’m not.” Alec said, and he had just opened his mouth to correct her when she cut him off.

“Then you must be his financial advisor.” She said, looking him up and down.

Alec was starting to get annoyed. Obviously, there was no organisation in this place or this distressed looking woman would know who the hell he was and why he was here. He was just about to ask her if she wanted to phone a friend when she hit a palm to her forehead.

“I know, you must be the security guy from ah, er, the um, damn what was the name of that… Shadowhunters! You’re from Shadowhunters, aren’t you?” She looked at him hopefully, like she was almost willing him to be that person.

“Third times the charm, it seems. Yes, I’m Alec Lightwood.” He stuck out a hand and the woman let out a relieved breath and gave him a beaming smile before taking his hand and almost dropping the bundle of papers she was holding at the same time. 

Alec hoped Mr Bane wasn’t paying too much an hour for this woman’s services, whatever the hell it was that she did.

“Clary, Clary Fray, Mr Bane’s’ secretary. Sorry, I’ve only just started here about three weeks ago myself and I’m still finding my way around. Come in, come in.” She said, pulling the door open wider and stepping aside. 

Alec made another mental note that Clary hadn’t asked him for ID at all. He could have been anyone just posing as Alec Lightwood and now he was just walking inside the penthouse. 

They were in a wide hallway, large white tiled floor and white walls gave the space a very sterile look. Totally not the sort of décor he’d been expecting from such a flamboyant figure as Magnus Bane.

Clary shut the door, almost dropped the paper work, again, and gave him an apologetic look before leading the way down the hall. The music he could hear from outside was getting louder and when they turned left into a door way, Alec found himself in a vast open living area. 

The somewhat clinical white theme had been carried through in here as well, punctuated every now and then with gold accents. Definitely not what he had expected but then again, he wasn’t sure what that had been anyway. The largest curved sectional sofa he had ever seen dominated the room as it sat before a stone fireplace. The fireplace itself had to of been at least six feet long and one of those glass fronted things with the white rocks in the base. Being early summer, of course, it wasn’t going, so it was easy to see right through to the other side. 

Alec followed Clary around a corner and passed the kitchen that looked like something straight out of a home décor magazine. It’s pristine white shiny cabinetry and stainless steel counter tops and appliances didn’t look like it had ever been touched with human hands but Alec was fairly sure there would be at least a house keeper or cook that took care of that. He doubted Mr Bane even knew how to boil water. 

They went into a small room off the kitchen that looked like a less formal living area and where the music was coming from. A group of people, men and women, were standing around something or someone, and all seemed to be talking at once. He paused by the door when Clary went over to the huddle and pushed her way into the centre. He could just hear his name being mentioned and the Agency before a displeased sounding growl sounded over the top of the constant thudding beat of the music. 

Suddenly, Alec had all eyes on him as the group all turned to look in his direction and he immediately felt that prickle of self-consciousness that comes with being the unwanted centre of attention. He was used to blending in, fading into the background, not being the star attraction. He tried not to look as uncomfortable as he felt as he straightened his shoulders and stiffened his spine.

The people parted, and Alec saw the illustrious Magnus Bane for the first time. He looked just slightly shorter than himself and had jet black hair that was almost non-existent at either side of his head but in an abundant supply of stiff looking gelled spikes on the top. As he came closer, Alec saw that his dark eyes were accented with black eyeliner and it looked like he even wore eye make up as well. High cheek bones and a small mouth, framed with a neatly trimmed goatee completed his face which Alec tried not to think of as good looking as he stood there waiting to meet his latest client. 

He had an easy way of walking, almost cat like as he crossed the white tiled floor on bare feet. A deep red shirt that was open right to his waist hung from his shoulders but still managed to cling to him in all the right places. Alec had to fight the need that his eyes seemed to have to go directly to the large amount of toned golden skin that was showing through the gap in the fabric. A tag hung from one cuff.

“So, this is my knight in shining armour?” He said in a voice as silky smooth as the shirt he was wearing. 

He stood before Alec with one hand on a narrow hip and the other holding a martini glass. He gave him a very exaggerated look, starting from his head and going to his toes. Alec felt his skin tingle as he did and ignored the sudden upbeat of his pulse rate. He set his face in as neutral a look as possible. Now he knew what a piece of choice steak felt like in a butcher shop window. 

“Mr Bane, I presume? I’m Alec Ligh…”

“You presume correctly and you’re Alexander Lightwood of the Shadowhunters Agency. Your six feet three inches, twenty-eight years old and live in your own apartment. You’ve been with the agency for five years since finishing college where you majored in business studies. Your best friend is Jace and you don’t have any pets. That I know of that is.” 

Alec was stunned. How the fuck had he found all that out? No other clients had ever been given detailed information like that before, what made this guy so special? Alec didn’t know who he was more pissed off at, Bane or Aldertree. His non-professional stats were none of his god damn business. He glared back at the man who looked like he was on the brink of smirking at him.

“The name’s Alec and how did you…” His blood boiled further when he raised a ring covered hand.

“You don’t honestly think that I’d let just anyone enter my inner sanctum, do you? Everyone who works for me had had a thorough back ground check. You, Alexander, are no different, whether I want you here or not.” 

The sharp edge to that last sentence shed some light on things; so he didn’t want him here and he didn’t want to be there, terrific, this was off to a great start already.

“It’s Alec, and I suppose I can see the need for that with your other people, but I wouldn’t be here if my background didn’t check out. You could have saved yourself some time and effort. And money.” 

“Well please forgive me for not trusting anyone else but my own people when it comes to this sort of thing. There was no way I would have gotten that information from your boss. If you are going to be in my life and in my face for the foreseeable future, I wanted to know as much as I could. And the name on your birth certificate says Alexander Gideon Lightwood, if Alexander is your name, then that’s what I shall call you. Now, As I said, I’m Magnus.” 

He stuck out a slim hand towards him and Alec looked down at it, coming very close to ignoring it, but he was nothing if not professional and that’s what he intended to be around this show pony. 

He took it in his and applied enough pressure in the very brief contact to let the man know he was there to do a job, not make friends. 

“I need to speak to you about your lack of security in this building and I need to go through the entire penthouse, get the layout in my head and see where things need to be changed.” Alec said taking his hand back and putting both of them behind him.

“Then you’ll have to follow me around. I don’t intend to have my schedule interrupted by this or anything else.” 

He turned on his heel and went back over to the waiting group of people who had been pretending not to be interested in their interaction. They all practically jumped to attention as Bane approached them again and immediately the voices started up, firing questions at him about the shirt that he half wore and the others that were being held up for his approval. Alec was getting triggered again. How the hell was he supposed to question him about what had been going on and about the security or lack of, in the building if this was going on? Well it wasn’t happening, he could play pretty boy later.

“Mr Bane we need to have a conversation about the threats you’ve received. Surely that takes precedent over what shirt you want to wear for the day.” Alec barked at him over the top of the others. 

Suddenly the room was very quiet. Several sets of eyes looked at him as if he’d just said something shocking. From the looks he was getting, maybe he had. Bane’s dark lined eyes glared back at him and his mouth drew in tight. 

“Alexander, I’m willing to let things slide a little because you’ve only just gotten here, and you don’t know how things work, but I can tell you I’m not accustomed to being spoken to like a spoilt child. You might as well know, I didn’t want you here, but my other security staff and my PA insisted on it. And while clearly you don’t care what you throw on that body of yours at the start of each day, I do. When you can’t set foot outside your door without having your picture taken for some trashy tabloid, looks matter. Now, if you would like to take a seat over there with my PA, I’m sure he can inform you about what’s been happening until I’m through here and then, I’ll take you on the ten-cent tour. Fair enough?” 

Alec was too stunned by that outburst to say anything for a few minutes. Bane might not be used to being the one not giving the orders, but Alec wasn’t used to being dressed down in front of a bunch of sycophantic employees, either. He glared back at him and it was on the tip of his tongue to tell him to shove the job in his tight ass, but he’d never walked away from an assignment before and he wasn’t about to start now. He took in a deep breath and tried to lower his rapidly rising blood pressure and went over to where a well-dressed man was sitting at a small table, tapping at a tablet screen. He looked up as Alec approached, his face remained impassive.

“You’re the PA, I take it.” Alec said, not waiting for a reply as he sat in the chair opposite.

“Yes. Raphael Santiago. No need to introduce yourself, your name has been ringing in my ears for the last several days. Magnus might not want you here, Mr Lightwood but he does need your services. I managed to convince him of it after the car was vandalised.” He said. 

Raphael had a very deep, easy voice that made Alec think the man wasn’t easily ruffled. Probably a good trait to have when you were working for a rich, spoilt brat. He felt his aggravation lowering somewhat. 

“Perhaps you can tell me your secret to how you can work for someone like that five days a week.” Alec said.

“It’s seven days a week actually and it helps that I’ve known Magnus the longest out of anyone here.” 

Clary arrived carrying a tray with a glass coffee pot and two white cups. She looked at them expectantly. 

“Would you two gentlemen like a cup while you wait?”

Alec declined her offer, but Raphael gave her a nod and moved the tablet as she rested the tray on the table as Clary poured the rich brown liquid into a cup.

“I’d have a cup, if I were you. He’ll be at least another hour at this, probably longer now that you’ve pissed him off. They haven’t gotten to the pants and shoes yet.” Raphael informed him, so Alec gave in and Clary poured a second cup. She left them to organise their own milk and sugar and disappeared somewhere back behind the huddle. 

“I pissed him off? I’m just here to do a job and try to keep him safe, surely he cares about that.” Alec said as he sipped at his coffee. 

“It’s not a matter of not caring it’s more of not wanting to deal with it. Magnus doesn’t want to think that this could be a fan or ex-employee with some kind of beef with him. Once you get to know him, he can be a very generous man. Last year he gave everyone of his people an all expenses paid vacation to a resort in Tahiti. The year before he bought them all cars. Magnus isn’t always the diva he appears to be.” And here Alec thought getting a ten percent bonus had been worth celebrating. 

He had a hard time believing that his motives weren’t just to keep everyone under his thumb, however. He was willing to bet that Mr Bane was a bit of a control freak. They say money couldn’t buy happiness but it sure would keep Joe Blog with his wife and three point two children loyal to the cause. 

“That was very generous of him. But not everyone can be a perfect fit. There must have been a few that have left his employee under less than amiable circumstances?” 

“Of course, but they have been few and far between. I have my doubts that it could be any of them. It’s a short list.” 

“Short or not, it’s still worth looking into. Can you give me their names as soon as possible? And I’ll need a list of everyone who works for him or comes in contact with him on a reasonably regular basis.” 

“Yes, certainly. As Magnus said, everyone here, passed and present, has had a background check, but I’ll give you their names anyway.” 

Alec hoped that he would be dealing with Raphael more over this, he was certainly easier to get along with than his employer. He wondered how long he had been with him and what, apart from the over generous Christmas bonuses, kept him here. 

They filled in the time by discussing the events prior to the car incident and Raphael promised Alec that he would give him the two letters to look at himself. After and hour and half of listening to “oh Mr Bane, that shade of blue looks wonderful on you,” and “I’d go with the emerald” along with various other praises that were starting to turn Alec’s stomach, the group dispersed, and Magnus came over to them. He was now wearing a floor length embroidered robe loosely tied with a sash at his waist and once again allowing a good deal of bare torso to go on display. 

He was standing close enough to Alec that he could see the movement of his well-defined abs as he breathed, and he also got a good lung full of whatever heady cologne he was wearing. The rich spicy scent made him want to take in a deeper draft for some reason, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

“So, you two look like you can play nicely together. I suppose you have something in common. Are you ready to take that tour now?” Magnus asked Alec, taking a sip of his drink. 

Either the man had a never-ending martini supply, or he really was magic, and he could replenish the drink at will. He might be good but even Magnus Bane was just a mere mortal underneath all the smoke and mirrors he used in his stage shows. Not that Alec had ever seen one, but he guessed if he had to be around him for any length of time, he was sure to.

“Yes, lead the way.” Alec said, rising from the chair. He followed Magnus back out into the other living area.

“You would have seen this already as you came in. I tend to use this space for more formal occasions, parties and the like. That entire wall is glass and has a set of double doors that lead onto a balcony. All the doors and windows are alarmed but unless I make an enemy of Spiderman, I doubt he or she will be gaining access that way.” He said, rolling his eyes and giving a wave of his hand towards the glass. 

“You would be surprised. All it would take would be someone to repel from the roof on a rope of some kind and they could be inside in minutes. Just because you live on the top floor doesn’t make you impervious to break ins. And speaking of access, you need to speak to the door man and the concierge about who they let into the building. I just walked in without even being questioned today. That’s not good enough.” 

Alec in formed him while he checked the condition of the locks and the alarms on the balcony doors. A snort of laughter had him looking at Bane with annoyance. His job was going to be made twice as hard if the person he was supposed to be protecting didn’t take things seriously.

“This isn’t a joke, Mr Bane you…….” But once again he was cut off mid-sentence by a raised hand.

“Fear not, Alexander. You weren’t questioned because the staff knew you were coming. They all had your picture and were instructed to let you up without the usual game of twenty questions that my visitors go through. Hell, even my florist that comes every week has to practically submit to a blood test to get up here. I may think that this is all for nought, Alexander, but I’m not entirely stupid. Shall we go on?” He asked with one elegant raised brow and a lop-sided grin. 

So, Bane gained the upper hand with him yet again. He felt a mixture of relief that the situation wasn’t quite as bad as he had first thought and annoyance that the man had obviously taken great delight in correcting his mistake. Magnus took them back into the kitchen and told him that his housekeeper came ever second day and he had a chef that he used on a regular basis for dinner parties and other events that he held at the apartment. At least Alec had been right about that side of things. 

They went back through to the other living room and down a hall way as Magnus opened each door in turn. 

“Guest room, media room, well, it was once another bedroom, but I changed it when I moved in, main bathroom, office, and down here…” he said, opening a door at the end of the hall, “Is my room.”

He pushed the door wide and strode in. Alec looked around him. The man’s bedroom was almost the size of his apartment for god sakes. A large four poster bed demanded attention in the room and unlike the rest of the place that was all light-coloured walls and floors, Magnus’ bedroom was the exact opposite. The walls were a deep red and the turned wooden bed posts and the head and foot were a stained dark, almost black. Magnus put his glass down on one of the bedside tables and then walked into a door way that ended up being a large walk in robe. 

Row after row of carefully hung shirts and pants lined either side of the space with a dressing table at the end, complete with light up mirror. There were shelves of shoes of every description and drawers that Alec presumed were for underwear. As he stood there taking it in, Magnus undid the silken robe and slipped it off his shoulders before him and stood naked in front of the drawers, pulling one open and plucking out a pair of boxer briefs. 

Alec felt his face heat and a very unwanted twitch in his crotch. His eyes immediately dropped to the floor, but he found them trying to flicker back up to the sight before him. Magnus Bane might be a pain in the ass but from what he had just seen of his, along with the rest of his muscled body, the man certainly looked after himself. He needed to get his pulse rate down before Bane could read anything into it. There was one thing that he would never find out, no matter how hard or how much money he threw at a private detective; No one not even Jace, knew that he way gay and he aimed to keep it that way. 

Magnus gave him a cheeky grin and chose a shirt from the extensive collection and slipped it on before doing the same with a pair of skinny legged black jeans. By the time they were hauled onto his harrow hips and fastened up, they looked like they could be painted onto him. He came up beside him and gave his eyebrows a wiggle.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re shy on top of everything else? Surely it’s not the first time that you’ve seen another man’s ass before?” He grinned and ran a finger tip along Alec’s jaw line before he went back out of the closet, leaving a red faced, stunned Alec behind him.

What was he supposed to say to that? Sure, I look at men’s asses all the time. Fuck! This guy had completely thrown him already. The one eighty he’d just pulled on him had left him dizzy and then he goes and gets buck naked right in front of him? Alec wondered if he did this with all his new staff, like some crazy initiation test or something. The guys maybe, but god, hopefully not the women as well? He got that some people were more open about their bodies then others, but it was pretty extreme to strip down right in front of someone whom you’d only just met a couple of hours before hand. After this little display, well, not really little, exactly, Alec was seriously thinking about going back to Aldertree this afternoon and begging him for a re assignment. 

He could tell now that this job was going to go way beyond anything he had ever dealt with before, and that didn’t count the reason he was here in the first place. What worried him more than anything was the fact that the few seconds he had allowed himself to take in that glorious physique only a few feet away from him, it had sent an electric surge right through him, culminating right in his crotch. He’d never let himself think about a client that way before and he had protected more than a few good-looking guys over the last five years. But none of them had ever given him a reaction like that. 

He followed Magnus out to the small living area again where Raphael was standing there waiting for them. The purpose of getting Magnus to show him around the place had been to check on any possible hot spots where someone could get in and to make a mental map of the apartment but now he felt like everything he’d seen had been swept right out of his head and replaced by the fine naked form of Magnus Bane. 

“So, did you see everything you needed to?” Raphael asked him. Of course, the question was innocent but it’s not what his mind thought of in that moment and he felt his face start to pink up. 

Fuck, Lightwood, get it together, now! he thought to himself. 

“Yes, more than enough.” Alec replied, hearing his voice crack just a little on the last word. 

Really? He had just said that? Christ, what was wrong with him? Magnus had gone over to a cabinet on the other side of the room and poured something into a glass. He could just see him in his peripheral vision and was sure that he saw him smirking to himself. Raphael either hadn’t seen the same thing or he was ignoring it. 

“I have that information for you if you’d like it now?” He said. Alec’s usual clear thinking had gone slightly fuzzy. What was he talking about? Shit, the employee information, past and present. Duh.

“Yes, thank you.” He managed to say, and Raphael took a file off the table and handed it to him. 

“I’ll go and give this a read and when I come back tomorrow morning, I’ll let you know if anyone needs to be looked into further. It was nice to meet you, Raphael.” He stuck out a hand and the man took it. He turned to Magnus who was still standing in front of the cabinet, sipping his drink.

“Good bye Mr Bane, I’ll return tomorrow to start the assignment properly.” He said before he was about to head for the door. 

“You’re leaving already? But I thought you were staying here with me? Isn’t that what a body guard does? Guards?” Magnus was looking at him like someone had just snatched his favourite toy from him. Was he serious?

“The detail doesn’t properly start until tomorrow. Today was just to get up to speed with everything. I’m sure you’ll be fine until then. If the building is as secure as you say it is then you have nothing to worry about.” Alec said. 

He had the most unnatural feeling to go over to him and pat him on the head and whisper “there, there,” to him. Jesus, he needed to get out of here, the place was messing with his mind already. 

“Oh.” 

It was all Magnus said and he took a dejected sip of whatever it was he was drinking. Alec was sure that most of this job would be hauling Bane’s drunk ass to and from places but even though he hadn’t seen him without a glass in his hand all afternoon, he didn’t appear to be greatly effected by the alcohol. Either that or he was a master a hiding it. 

“I’ll walk you to the door.” Raphael said and waved him forward. Alec stopped before he left the room and turned back towards Magnus.

“I’ll be here at six sharp, Mr Bane. Anything happens before then, you have my number.” Alec gave him a nod.  
“If you’re serious about this body guard thing then you better get here at five. I go to the gym each morning at five.” Magnus said.   
“Then five it is, see you then.” Alec said and headed towards the door. 

Alec got back to his car and took what felt like the first real deep breath since he had first walked up those steps earlier today. What a fucking circus. He wasn’t sure if Bane was the ring leader or the main attraction. This was why he had never wanted to be assigned to a celebrity. He’d heard the tales over the years from the other guys who had been on ‘baby sitting duty’ to someone well known. A lot of the stories had been good ones but then there were the others that made him glad that it hadn’t been him. 

Now it was him. 

He started his car and thought about going back to the agency and seeing his boss to get taken off this crazy ride, but something had him hesitating. He’d been so sure that’s what he was going to do not too long ago but now he was having second thoughts. Why, he had no idea. Maybe it was that slightly vulnerable side that had come out of the illustrious Mr Bane just before he left. He could be cynical and say that it was all just part of the act, but his gut told him he didn’t think so. 

He checked his mirror and then pulled out into the late afternoon traffic, pointing his car for home. As he slowed to a crawl in the early minutes of rush hour, he found he couldn’t seem to stop thinking of Mr Bane. The man had gone from acting like he wanted nothing to do with him and didn’t want him there, to looking like he was sad to see him go. It was doing his head in, just thinking about it. Was it that he’d be alone in the apartment and feel uneasy about it? He would of thought someone that had probably had a hectic schedule and was surrounded by people clambering for his attentions all day would be grateful for the peace and quiet and the time to himself. It was just one of the mysteries that he hoped to discover about him. 

Alec finally made it home and went inside his modest apartment. It felt like a little box compared to the Bane residence but not everyone was a multimillionaire. He took off the jacket of his suit and loosened his tie. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and then dug out a frozen ready meal and put it in the microwave. He really needed to start eating better, he thought as he flopped down on the old sofa in the little living area. He reached out and clicked on the remote for the TV and settled back against the cushions, toeing off his shoes. Today he had worn his good slip ons but from tomorrow, he’d be in his work boots. They looked like a soft combat boot, but they were steel capped and had good traction on the sole. The last thing he needed was to land on his butt trying to chase some lunatic on those tiles in that penthouse. 

The microwave chimed, and he got up and got out his dinner and after grabbing a knife and fork, he took the file that Raphael had given him back to the sofa. Might as well start reading now while he ate. 

He’d been nose deep in the rather extensive list when his phone rang. He looked at the number and didn’t recognise it but answered it anyway.

“Hello?”

“Alexander? It’s Magnus. Remember me? What am I saying, of course you do.” 

Alec rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. There was no getting away from this guy was there. 

“Was there something you wanted, Mr Bane?” 

Alec felt a little awkward addressing him so formally when he had seen the guy in his birthday suit, but he wanted to keep things as professional as he could. Anything but a business relationship was strictly frowned upon and emotions clouded judgement. A dangerous thing to happen when you were protecting someone. 

He heard an exasperated sigh on the other end of the phone. 

“Now if we are going to be spending time together, you need to call me Magnus. Mr Bane was my father.” He made it sound like they were about to embark on a different sort of relationship, less business and more personal and Alec didn’t care how much money he had, that wasn’t going to happen. 

“I’ll think about it. Is that it?” Alec asked.

Another sigh.

“No, when you come tomorrow, you should pack a bag. Enough things for about a week to start with and then after that we’ll see what happens.” Alec frowned down at the phone. Were they going somewhere? He’d just read his schedule and there was nothing on that about going out of town.

“Why do I need to do that?”

“Because as of tomorrow at five am sharp, you and I are going to be roommates. Well, house mates actually. Not technically a house but anyway, you get the picture.” Alec felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Oh, fuck no, no way. This wasn’t part of the deal. 

“Mr Bane, I will be working from five am until five pm, unless you need me longer. This isn’t a live in position.” The thought of being in the same vicinity as Magnus Bane twenty-four seven sent chills up his spine. 

“As of roughly twenty minutes ago, it now is. I called your boss and arranged everything so don’t fret about that. If you really are going to protect me, Alexander, then you need to be here all the time other wise what’s the point?” 

Alec pinched the bridge of his nose, scrunching up his face. This just kept getting worse. Why hadn’t he just gone to Aldertree this afternoon like he was going to do and ask to be reassigned? Urgh! 

“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.” Alec said trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.

“Oh now, cheer up, Alexander. I’m sure it won’t be that bad. I’m really quite good company once you get to know me. Until tomorrow then. Chow.” And then the line when dead. 

Alec threw his phone down on the sofa next to him. This was going to be one long ass week and as bad as it sounded, he hoped that their mystery pen pal slash car enthusiast ramped up his efforts so he could hunt him down and nab him and then get the hell out of Dodge while he still had some of his sanity intact.


	2. Chapter 2

Four am comes all too soon when you’ve had a restless night. Alec hadn’t gone to bed as early as he might of under normal circumstances because he was just too damn angry and keyed up to settle. He ended up calling Jace and venting to him, but it hadn’t helped much as Jace thought it was hilarious that he had finally gotten the assignment he had been avoiding for years.

“You’re looking at this all the wrong way.” He told him over the phone.

“How do you figure that out?” Alec replied, feeling grumpier than ever.

“Hey, you get to live in a penthouse apartment for a week, all expenses paid, with someone who most people would give their left arms to spend time with and all you have to do is keep your eyes open for him. He’s probably got some rogue fan that got shafted on some tickets to one of his shows or something.” 

“I think it’s a bit more complicated than that, Jace. I’ve got a list of his employees and its gonna take me at least a couple of days to go through each one of them, and that just the ones he has around him on a day to day basis. Then there’s the others that he only sees once every now and then and the exes. I didn’t get a list of any current girlfriends or relationships, so I’ll have to get that off the PA as well.” Alec felt himself slump at the amount of work he was faced with. 

“You’ll handle it buddy, I’m sure.” Jace had said. 

They’d talked about other things for a while before hanging up and Alec dragged himself off the sofa to go and start packing his things. 

By the time he’d finished that and made sure the kitchen and the rest of his apartment was tidy, it was almost eleven. He decided to have a shower and hoped that the hot water would relieve him of some of the tension he was carrying in his shoulders and back. This assignment had him in knots and he hadn’t even started.

Alec got into bed a half hour later and turned off the light after setting his phone alarm for four am.

He was weary, and his eyes were heavy, but his brain just wouldn’t switch off. It was filled with images of Magnus Bane as he had seen him that day; in that open fronted shirt, then in the robe and of course the main attraction, Magnus Bane standing before him in all his naked glory.

He traitorous cock jumped under the sheets and he growled and changed positions. He found the man annoying and shaping up to be a huge pain in his butt, why would he want to keep thinking about that?

About an hour later, he finally closed his eyes and drifted off into a troubled sleep. Here’s the problem with going to bed with something like that on your mind; it doesn’t make for a very restful night. 

Usually, Alec was too worn out to dream after working all day, but tonight was going to be the exception, it seemed. Magnus stood before him in the robe in the large walk in closet. He didn’t say anything, just turned and came towards him, like a lion hunting his prey. He stopped about a foot from him and reached out to run a finger along the edge of his jaw and slid his other hand up the side of his neck. Alec felt like he was under some kind of spell. All dreamy and fuzzy headed, but horny so, so horny. Without a word, he reached out and untied the sash on the robe and let it fall open, revealing that fabulous form below. 

He had run a hand down his chest, feeling the warm golden skin and hard muscle below it, the thought of all that power hidden below the softness got him hard so fast he felt lightheaded.

He reached his lower belly and his fingertips has just brushed the base of Magnus’ impressive length when he saw him start to sink to his knees and undo his belt, button and zipper of his pants. He was breathing so hard now, the sound filling his ears as Magnus gently pulled down his pants and boxers.

His iron hard erection sprung free and he groaned as he took each side of Magnus’ head in his hands and watched him come forward, those sweet pink lips opening wide to take him into his mouth. He gave a loud moan of pleasure as the wet warmth engulfed him and his knees started to go weak.

The way he was sliding his tongue over his super sensitive skin and the drawing suction of his mouth was rendering him breathless as his orgasm was screaming towards him with ferocious speed. He kept trying to form words to tell him to slow down, that it was all happening too fast, but the act had robbed him of any form of coherent speech. 

He could feel his whole body building for release and that delicious unfurling coil in his belly was making his balls draw up. Just as Magnus had taken his full length down his throat, he felt himself explode and cried out at the top of his lungs as the force of the orgasm hit him. He thrust hard into his mouth pushing his head onto him hard, not caring if he was choking him or not as he pumped time and time again into the back of his throat. 

Alec had woken with a cry and his hands gripped his leaking pole as he blindly jerked it twice, coming hotly into his hand. His chest was heaving, trying to get in as much oxygen as he could from the wildly erotic dream. He fell back onto the bed, stunned and senseless.

It had been many years since he had woken up with a throbbing hard on and usually it had been caused from a dream about some movie star that he’d been fantasising about or even a class mate on the rare occasion. Not someone that drove him to distraction and got his blood boiling nearly every time he opened his mouth. 

After wiping his hand on a discarded shirt by the bed, Alec felt his eyes, like the rest of his limbs, growing heavy with sleep and unlike earlier that night, he was out to it within minutes. The shrill sound of the alarm on his phone woke him what seemed only minutes after he had finally fallen into a restful sleep and he had to drag himself out of bed. 

He got dressed in his standard black suit and tie, white shirt and his leather boots, before going out to the kitchen and filling up his travel mug with fresh hot coffee. His brand certainly didn’t compare to the blend that he’d had at Magnus’ penthouse yesterday. At least that was something to look forward to.

It was a clear run to his building in the early morning and he parked his car in the underground parking space before taking his bag off the back seat and heading for the elevator. The carpark was well lit, and he noticed surveillance cameras placed at strategic spots on the walls. Good. He didn’t know where Bane’s car was parked but at least he could see if he could find the footage from the attack. 

He rode the elevator to the top and went to the front door and rang the buzzer. It certainly was quieter this morning from when he had arrived yesterday. The door opened, and Raphael stood before him, immaculately attired as he had been the day before. There was a dark sensuality about the man and he sure did fill that deep red suit out well.

“Alec, welcome. Please, come in. We still have a half hour if you’d like some breakfast.” He said as he led him down the hallway and into the kitchen. 

Alec had just been about to open his mouth and say no thanks that he didn’t eat much in the mornings, but then his eyes fell on the counter top full of food. Scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, yoghurt, muesli, even pancakes filled the shiny silver surface. He felt his stomach rumble as he took it all in. Surely this wasn’t all for one or two people?

“We’re expecting the rest of the entourage over the next half an hour or so. Magnus insists on keeping us well fed while he eats like a bird.” Raphael explained as he took a plate from the pile and handed Alec one.

“Oh no, I don’t really…” He started to protest.

“Oh yes you do really if you’re going to live with me, Alexander. You’ll need all your strength to keep up with my schedule, so I suggest you fill up.” 

Magnus came gliding into the kitchen from the hall way. He had on a tight black singlet top that looked like it had been painted onto his muscled torso and black leggings that outlined those powerful thighs nicely. Suddenly, Alec’s mind raced back to the dream that he’d had that gotten him so hot and sweaty the night before and he tried to hide his heated face by putting food on his plate. Hopefully, Magnus hadn’t noticed. 

The task was made even harder when Magnus came up beside him and took a bowl from the counter and spooned yoghurt into it, sprinkling some muesli over the top of it. He tried not to notice the obvious glances he was giving him every now and then. God he wished he’d stop that.

“Early mornings seem to suit you, Alexander, don’t tell me you jogged all the way here this morning, your face is the nicest shade of pink.” Magnus said, smiling at him as they took a seat at the counter on a couple of tall stools. 

“No, I didn’t, I drove here.” Alec managed to get out before putting a fork full of fluffy scrambled eggs in his mouth. 

“Must be something else then. I had Margret, that’s the housekeeper, set you up in the guest room. She’ll unpack your things for you while we’re gone.” 

“Oh no, that’s alright. I can do it.” Alec wasn’t used to being waited on or fussed over. He’d been fiercely independent for most of his life. Besides, he had his small hand gun underneath his clothes at the bottom of the bag. Magnus gave a small snort of laughter.

“Got something hidden away in that bag of yours, do you? Fear not, Alexander, Margret is bomb proof when it comes to special toys. Nothing phases the woman, believe me, I’ve tested the theory on more than one occasion.” 

Alec almost chocked on his food and he looked at Magnus in surprise. Dear god, was he serious? Now his face blazed with heat, and he ignored the smirk on his face as he pushed a glass of juice over to him. 

“I haven’t got anything like that but I do have a hand gun in there and I’m just not used to people doing things for me like that. I’ll see to it when we get back.” He managed to get out after drowning the mouthful of eggs.

“Independent cuss, are we? Fair enough. So, are you ready or would you like to blush prettily like that some more before we go?” 

Magnus’ dark eyes twinkled at him as he spoke. Alec felt a thrill run down his spine that made him feel exceedingly uncomfortable but chose to ignore it. He needed to get a handle on his rogue feelings if he was to do his job efficiently.

“I’ll need to check the car before you come down and the carpark.” He said, starting to rise from the table and picking his plate up. 

Magnus gave him another eye roll.

“Fine, fine, but just leave the plate there, Margret will get it.” As if in a demonstration of how they did things, Magnus rose from the table, leaving his bowl and empty juice glass where it was and headed towards the hall again.

“I’ll just grab my trainers and I’ll be down. I hope all this nonsense won’t keep me late. My trainer tends to get a little testy if I am.” He said back over his shoulder.

Alec headed back down to where Raphael told him the car was parked. The sleek looking black car sat along with a couple of other luxury vehicles in a separate area to the rest of the residents. He went all over it, looking for possible signs of forced entry or tampering, not wanting to rush things even though, god forbid, he kept the trainer waiting. 

“It’s quite sound, I can assure you.” Alec spun around to see a man in a white shirt and black pants standing behind him. He stuck out a hand.

“I’m Meliorn, Mr Bane’s driver. You must be the body guard he’s been whining about for a couple of days. We had more cameras installed after the tyres were slashed last week and I would of been notified if there had of been anything a miss.” 

“Alec Lightwood, personal security. I appreciate you telling me that. I still need to check under the hood and underneath the car, however.” He informed him.   
Meliorn went to the car and unlocked it, reaching in and popping the hood. Alec took a small flash light out of his pocket and shone it into the engine bay. Everything looked good. Nothing missing, nothing added. 

“I’m afraid the only way to look underneath, would be to lay on the ground, and there’s really no need, you’d be getting your clothes dirty for nothing.” He tried to assure him, but Alec wasn’t taking his word for it. 

Until he got the proper mirror, he’d have to live with running the risk of a grease spot or two. He took off his jacket and laid it on the car before getting on the cold concrete floor and poking his head just under the car, shining his light over it. Thankfully, Meliorn was correct. Clean again.   
He’d just gotten back on his feet, when the elevator sounded, and Magnus and Raphael alighted from its interior. 

“So, are we all systems go for launch?” Magnus asked him as they neared. 

“Yes, everything’s fine.” Alec said, picking up his jacket from the hood. 

Magnus had been about to get in the car, when he stopped and walked behind Alec. He was about to ask him what he was doing when he felt his hand on his back, brushing against his shirt. Once again, a shiver ran through him from the contact and he hoped that Magnus hadn’t noticed it.

“Hey…!” he said, twisting away.

“Oh, calm down, Alexander, you had dust on your back. If you insist on wearing those cheap shirts and ill-fitting suits, then at least I can make sure they stay clean. Margret will do your washing while you’re here and I don’t want any complaints about that either.” He said, giving him a stern look before sliding into the back seat. 

Raphael gave him a nod and then went back inside the elevator. 

Alec was about to get into the front seat beside Meliorn when Magnus called to him from the back.

“I want you in here, Alexander. Come, keep me company.” He said. Alec was sorely tempted to ignore him and get in anyway but for the sake of peace, he closed the door and went to the back and slid in beside him. What did he do any other morning he went to the gym? 

He’d hoped that Magnus would be content to just make the trip in silence, but he should have known better. They’d just pulled onto the street when he spoke.  
“So, Alexander, I think if we are going to be cohabitating and living in close quarters with each other we should get to know each other better. Tell me about yourself.” He said, turning his body towards his. Alec tried not to think about the fact that their knees were almost touching. It was making things even more uncomfortable for him.

“All you need to know is that I’ll be there to protect you from any threats. I don’t see the point of going beyond that.” He said. He thought about shifting his leg, but he didn’t want to make it look obvious, he’d just have to endure it. 

“Well that’s where we differ, I suppose. I like to get to know anyone who works for me. I need to know what sort of person you are, Alexander. Do you have a girlfriend?” He asked, one brow raised. 

Even though he was going to the gym and would probably get all sweaty and hot, the man still wore the black eye liner he had on the day before. Alec didn’t know why he’d bother, those eyes of his stood out enough without putting dark circles around them. 

And why are you thinking about his eyes? Hmmmm? If his sub conscious had been a person, it would have been standing there, hands on hips and tapping one foot on the floor. Something hitched in his gut and he tried to tell himself it hadn’t happened. 

“I don’t have a girlfriend.” He was determined not look in Magnus’ direction, but your choices were limited as to where you put your eyes in the backseat of a car, and for some reason, they seem to want to keep going back to him.

“Oh, I see, boyfriend then?” Magnus had made the question sound quite offhand but if anything had him turning back to face him, it was this.

“No!” Alec barked, a little more loudly then he had intended but he hoped his angry tone and frowning face would get the message across loud and clear. 

That had cut a little too close to the bone for his liking and made his mind start racing back to the last twenty-four hours to see if he had done or said anything that might give Magnus the impression that he was into guys. 

“Whoa! Easy tiger. Just asking. I just wanted to know if there would be some star struck person knocking on my door, hoping for an autograph or free tickets.” Magnus was looking at him like he was trying to read the thoughts that were filling his head. Alec wasn’t sure what sort of magic this guy did, but he hoped he wasn’t one of those mind readers to go along with it. 

“Well there isn’t anyone like that, so you don’t have to worry about that happening.” Alec said and went back to looking out the heavily tinted window.

“Good.” 

The single word was barely audible, and it had been said so quietly that it had Alec wondering if he had just imagined him saying it. One thing he was certain of was that he hadn’t been meant to hear it. And he wished to god he hadn’t because his subconscious had pricked his ears up at the single syllable word and ran with it way further than was necessary. 

He told himself that he needed to make a conceded effort to through Magnus off the track that he might be into guys. But apart from acting like some macho stereotype that adjusted his crotch every five minutes and tried to pick up the nearest available female, he wasn’t sure how he was going to do that.   
He’d kept that side of him well hidden from everyone, including Jace, so he thought he had been doing a good job of it. Why was Bane able to possibly see through his disguise? Maybe he was just reading way too much into it as well. 

The pulled up out the front of the downtown gym and Alec told Magnus to stay put until he got out and looked around the area. He opened the door, not waiting for Meliorn to do it and stepped out onto the quiet street that was still lit with street lights.

The very faintest of the coming dawn was showing in the distance and Alec looked around the seemingly deserted street. Apart from a couple of other early risers that were entering the gym, there was no one around. Meliorn gave him an expectant look and Alec nodded to let him know that he could open the door for Magnus. 

Alec stood tensed and ready for anything unexpected as he alighted from the car and stepped onto the side walk. He’d taken two steps in the direction of the gym door when a scruffy looking man with a camera came out of nowhere and started snapping pictures. Alec threw himself across in front of Magnus and shoved him behind him before he went at the photographer. 

“Get out of here! Now!” He yelled, pushing the backpedaling man down the street and away from his client.

“Hey! Hey! Easy buddy, easy! Just tryin’ to make a livin’ here.” He said, letting the camera fall from the end of the strap that was around his neck and holding up his hands in surrender.

“Hey, Magnus, tell your bull dog to back off, will ya?” He called out trying to look over Alec’s broad shoulder.

“It’s alright, Alexander, Bruce is an old friend. He’s been following me around for years now. I let him get a couple of pictures and he leaves me alone. We have an understanding.” Magnus said, coming up behind Alec, who was still standing menacingly before the photographer. 

He actually startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to glare at Magnus.

“If you knew he was going to be here, why the hell didn’t you tell me this morning?” He shot at him. He wasn’t sure if his severe tone was from the unexpected appearance of Bruce or the jolt of electricity that had shot through him from Magnus touch. 

“Bruce can spring up anywhere, I never know when or where he might be so it’s not easy to be accurate about it. He’s harmless and after all these years I think if the man was going to pull anything funny, he would of by now.” 

Alec felt himself calming a little. He still felt edgy as hell, adrenalin still coursing through him and he hadn’t noticed until that minute that Magnus still had a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and started herding him back towards the gym entrance. 

They got inside, and he raised a hand for Magnus to stop. 

“Stay put until I check things out.” He said. He got another eye roll.

“Alexander, I’ve been coming here for a long while now. It’s safe. Unless Sylvester Stallone comes flying at me, I’m perfectly safe.” Magnus told him, looking impatient. He was standing with one hip cocked to the side and arms folded across his wide chest, fingers drumming on a water bottle. 

“You mightn’t be taking this seriously, but I do. There’s not going to be anymore unexpected members f the paparazzi popping up in here is there? Or anything else you’ve neglected to tell me” He asked him. Magnus frowned at him. That perfect mouth pulling in tight. 

Don’t think of his mouth, don’t think of his mouth. 

“No, not to my knowledge. Now, can I go over there to Sergei, and start my work out or do you want to do a cavity search on the guy? I warn you in advance, he’d probably like it.” 

Alec felt his face heating and he gave Magnus a sour look. Smartass. Some pay checks truly weren’t worth it. 

“Fine, go ahead, but I am going to do a sweep of this place whether you like it or not. Just because they know you here doesn’t guarantee your safety.” He reminded him and with an exaggerated huff and a final hairy eyeball, Magnus headed towards the waiting Sergei. 

Magnus was put through his paces for about an hour and by the end of it he was a sweaty panting mess. Alec had been trying to stop himself from watching the two of them as Sergei counted off reps on the various machines. As much as Magnus Bane pissed him off, and he would rather be anywhere else then here, it was hard to ignore the sight of that golden shiny shin as it rippled with the strain of his muscular back, shoulders and biceps. 

Alec wasn’t liking the way it was making his insides feel. The image that sprang to mind was someone laying full-length on their stomach, knees bent feet twitching and with a dreamy look on their face with their tongue hanging out. 

This job was going to be not only a test of patience but of his stamina as well. Trust him to get the one and only client that had woken up his hidden side. Magnus gave Sergei, who of course, hadn’t broken a sweat at all, a pat on the massive bicep and then after chugging the rest of his water, stood up and looked around until his eyes fell on Alec. 

“I need to shower. I keep a spare set of clothes in a locker in the back, I suppose you want to come and make sure it’s not booby trapped?” He asked him.

“Yes, let’s go.” Alec said, and he walked beside Magnus out through to the back of the gym and through a door. 

The tangy smell of sweat combined with the earthy aroma of his cologne was wafting passed Alec’s nose and sparking up his senses again. He really had to check to make sure this guy was human, I mean, who smelt this good after a gruelling workout? When Alec worked up even a mild shine to his white skin, he smelt like some kind of farm animal in comparison. 

The narrow hall way where the lockers were was nothing special and after a quick scout around, he went to the plain blue metal door that Magnus pointed to. 

“What’s your combination?” He asked him his finger paused over the little keypad.

“Well, I prefer one on one, but I have been known to have a couple of bodies at the same time.” He fluttered his dark lashes at him and leaned an elbow on the row of lockers and rested his head on his fist, giving him a look of feigned innocence. 

That spike of current shot through him again, but he frowned at Magnus and let out a loud huff. All the time? Really? Didn’t he ever let up?

“Oh lighten up, buttercup, its one, two, oh, eight.” 

Another eye roll.

Alec punched in the numbers and put a hand on the cool metal door so that it didn’t spring open when the lock released. 

“Stand back.” He said to Magnus and he took a single step to the side. 

Not good enough. If anything was planted in here, he could still be caught in the blast. He took Magnus by the firm upper arms and moved him back to where he judged would be a reasonably safe distance.

“Oh, Alexander, how forceful of you. I love a man who likes to lead.” He crooned and wiggled his eye brows. 

That perfect pink mouth was quirked up at one corner. Another zing shot through him at the feel of firm muscle and slippery skin beneath his palms. Alec shot him a look before he went back to the locker and slowly opened the door. Nothing flew out, nothing exploded, and after going through the change of clothes that were in there plus the toiletry bag, he handed them to Magnus who was standing there giving him the “I told you” look. 

“Showers are this way.” Magnus said, pointing to a door at the end of the hall. 

Alec walked ahead of him and heard a soft “hmm, hmm” behind him. His skin prickled but he ignored it and didn’t even turn around to question the reason behind the utterance. His mind was working overtime as it was. 

They walked into a change room where the only sound was the faint drip of a tap or shower head that was behind a tiled wall. Magnus dumped his belongings and started to peel the skin tight black tank off. Alec was determined this time to keep his eyes to himself, but that lasted for a grant total half a minute when he heard Magnus making soft little grunts as tugged upwards at the hem of the top. 

“Alexander, could you just give me a hand here? This gets clingy when it’s all sweaty could you pull it up from the back for me?” Magnus asked him. 

Oh fuck.

Alec thought about saying no, do it yourself, or get Sergei the muscle man in here to do it for you but that sounded childish and silly even to him. He walked over, and Magnus turned his back on him, and he reached out and took the bottom of the damp slippery material in his hands. His nose was filled with that sweaty/earthy scent of him and he closed his eyes for a second to try to clear his head and quell the ramped-up beat of his pulse it caused him to feel. 

His knuckles just touched the warm wet skin of his lower back and he gripped the shirt harder to stop his hands from shaking. Fuck, he needed to get a grip, and not on the shirt, or Magnus’ luscious looking skin either. 

“Okay, one, two three, pull!” Magnus counted down and Alec tugged upwards, hard. His skin managed to make contact with his back right to his shoulders and Alec found himself biting down on his tongue to stop himself from making the soft noise of pleasure that was sitting in the back of his throat. 

“Urgh!” magnus gave a short grunt as he got the tight-fitting tank over his head and then suddenly, he was falling backwards and without even thinking, Alec grabbed him around the waist to steady him. He leaned back against his chest and his soft spiky hair brushed the underside of Alec’s jaw. 

Alec’s brain exploded with sensation as he found himself leaning his head down to take in more of the delicious scent of him and his heart was beating wildly in his chest at the wonderful feeling of his body against his ribs.

His hands were full of warm wet skin and right at that second, it was taking everything he had not to take a big tasty mouthful of it, right where it sloped up from his shoulder to his neck. His cock jumped inside his pants and began to swell, and he quickly pushed Magnus back on his feet. 

“I need to do a perimeter check. He rasped and fought to get his breathing under control. He had to put as much distance in-between him and the exotic Mr Bane as he could without leaving him open and vulnerable. Ha, there was a contradiction in terms. He was supposed to be guarding him, but who was there to stop him from thinking the way he was? Of all the things that he could have imagined that would make this assignment hard, this hadn’t even been on his list. 

He heard the sound of a shower being turned on and he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth together as he fought back the thought of what that heavenly body with all its firm muscle and golden skin would look like with hot water coursing all over it. He stifled a moan and braced himself against the wall as he felt his cock going iron hard inside his underwear. 

Fuck, could he get anymore unprofessional than this? He palmed his bulging crotch and bit hard on his bottom lip. He’d never felt so fucking horny over anyone before in is life and it was destroying the walls that he had erected around himself where feeling attraction to other men was concerned. Personal protection and lusting after good looking clients didn’t mix.

He had to do something drastic to reduce the throbbing boner that was trying to break through his underwear and short of jerking off right then and there, something had to relieve the mounting pressure in his balls.

He reached inside his pants and into his boxers and took himself in hand and allowed his hand one firm tug which brought a guttural deep moan resonating from him before he took the blazing skin between his thumb and index fingers and pinched hard. The pain shot through him, making his eyes water and screw up tight as he clenched his teeth and tried to kill the squeal of pain that was on the back of his tongue. He felt some of the pressure die and his cock softened but not enough. He repeated the process once more and it did the trick.   
He heard the water turn off and he quickly removed his hand and made sure his clothes were straightened. He took some deep breaths and got his breathing down to a more reasonable level before wiping his glistening forehead. Right. He was good to go. Then he turned back around.

Fuck no. 

Magnus was standing near the bench that held his clothes, one towel wrapped around his slender hips, his muscular upper body working as he dried off his smooth chest and well-defined arms. He had his back to him, thank god, so he didn’t know his body guard was standing there watching him, a puddle of drool at his feet. He gave his dark head a hard shake, flinging water about him, before he gave his hair a rough scrub with the towel and then dumped it on the bench.

Alec was somehow frozen to the spot. He couldn’t move. He was certain of he tried his legs wouldn’t work. He swallowed hard and all the painful pinching he had just administered to himself meant absolutely nothing. His cock surged in his pants and panic started to flood him. 

Move you fucking idiot, if he sees you standing here like this with a hard on, your done for. 

He looked around for a way out of the mess he’d created for himself and saw the door for the men’s room.

“Stay right here until I go to the bathroom.” He called out as he made for the door and salvation. He didn’t even look to see if Magnus had seen him, he just hot footed it to the door and inside. He leaned back on the closed door and reached behind him with a shaky hand and turned the latch.   
He felt his bunched shoulders drop from where they had been around his ears and let out a long deep breath. Oh fuck me, this wasn’t fair. Why this guy? Of all people. He felt like a teenager with a crush on some poster perfect celebrity. But he wasn’t a sixteen-year-old school boy, he was a full grown twenty-eight-year-old man with an extremely serious job to do. 

He jumped as he heard a sharp knock on the door behind him.

“Are you alright, Alexander? Do you need help?” Magnus was calling from the other side. 

 

Fuck yes I need help, I want you to get in here and take my throbbing cock right down that throat of yours and passed though hot lips and suck me until I explode in your mouth; the thought hit him with all the force of a blow to the side of his head and he bit hard on his bottom lip. He gathered his wits before answering him.

“Yes, I’m fine. I thought I told you not to move.” He yelled through the closed door and he went over to the first stall and gave the toilet a flush for authenticity. He ran his hands under the cold water, hoping that they would be connected to his still semi hard dick. He couldn’t stay in here forever and he wasn’t too keen to pinch himself again. 

Thankfully, there seemed to be a connection between his hands and his crotch and his tented pants returned to normal. He looked in the mirror at his flushed face and splashed some water on it as well before getting paper towel and drying himself off and then after a final steadying breath, he unlatched to door and went back out. 

How the hell was he going to survive this without exposing himself, in more ways than one? He had to get taken off this job, this couldn’t keep happening. He’d call Aldertree first chance he got when they got back to the penthouse.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a vastly different ride home. Alec had spent it staring out the window, his body turned towards the door and he didn’t look at Magnus once. He couldn’t. He knew Magnus was probably wondering what the hell had gone so pear shaped for no good reason what so ever but he just sat there beside him and hoped to god the man knew how to keep his mouth shut for once.

When they made it back to the parking area under the building, Alec spoke to him for the first time since leaving the gym.

“Sit. Stay.” He said curtly before getting out of the car. Before he shut the door, he heard a quiet, “sit, roll over, play dead.” Being mumbled under his breath. He immediately felt bad for saying what he had. It wasn’t Magnus’ fault he couldn’t control his own emotions. 

Hang on, what was he saying? Yes it was. If the guy hadn’t looked like a walking wet dream, none of this would be an issue. 

Alec did a quick check of the area and deemed it safe and nodded to Meliorn to open the door. 

Magnus got out and after a very pointedly hurt look, he followed Alec to the elevator. They got inside, and Alec pressed the button for the penthouse and the door closed. They both stood in awkward silence for a couple of minutes before it must have finally gotten the best of Magnus.

“Are you going to tell me what the problem is, or do we have to play twenty questions?” He asked him. Alec knew that he wouldn’t just drop it and frankly, he didn’t blame him. If someone just suddenly had given him the cold shoulder, he’d want to know why. The trouble was, what did he say? 

“It’s fine. There’s nothing wrong.” Alec said, trying to sound casual about it. His self-conscious was standing there, feet apart and arm out stretched and finger pointing. Liar!

“Bullshit. I haven’t known you long but I’m not totally clueless. I know when something isn’t right, and something isn’t right. Is it something I did?” He asked.   
Yeah, it is, you got naked in front of me twice, well sort of twice, if you didn’t count the towel wrapped around your waist, and both times you became every male sexual fantasy I’ve had since I was fourteen years old. 

“No. Don’t worry about it.” 

“Well I do worry. If I’m in the wrong about something, then I’d like a chance to apologise. We have to live and work together, Alexander, it would go much smoother if we could go back to bickering at each other at least.” 

‘I told you, it’s fine.” He heard Magnus give sigh and then he took a step towards the button panel and reached out and pressed the stop button. The lift jolted still, and Magnus turned and faced Alec with his hands on his hips and frowning at him.

“What the hell are…” Alec went to get them moving again but Magnus swatted his hand away.

“Hey!”

“We aren’t going anywhere until you tell me what the fuck is your problem, Alexander. I don’t do tension very well and especially when I have no idea how it happened in the first place. So, spit it out. I’m a big boy, I can take it.” 

Alec pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache from all this tension himself. 

“Look, it’s nothing personal, but I don’t think this is going to work out.” He told him. It was only half a lie. 

‘What’s not going to work out?”

“Us, this. This job.” He motioned between them with his hand. Magnus puffed out his chest and began to look defensive.

“And why wouldn’t it? Am I that hard to get along with?”

“No, it’s just…”

“Because you’re not exactly a walk in the park either, Alexander. I like my life as it is. I like routine and structure, knowing when I’m supposed to be somewhere and why. It mightn’t look like it but it’s organised chaos. Believe it or not, your presence, warranted or not, is a major disruption to me and one that I fought hard against but I trust Raphael and his justification over things and so I gave in to it. From what I gather, you’re a very private person and used to living alone. I get that. I like my privacy too. When you’re in the public eye like I am, privacy is more valuable than the money I make. But I can’t see a reason why we couldn’t learn to get along with each other for however long it takes to sort this out. “ 

Alec felt like a total asshole. He was right. As much as he hated to admit it. But he was taking this as something completely different to what it actual was about and he couldn’t enlighten him about it. He had no idea why his very presence was making it so hard for him to do his job. This was all new territory for Alec; he had never felt like this about anyone, let alone a client, and it was ripping his guts open. He felt like he was being pulled in two directions at once. Extremely confusing. 

He went to open his mouth and tell Magnus that he understood all that, but it just couldn’t work but looking at that handsome face and seeing the uneasiness in his eyes hit him right in the feels. Oh god. Did he really hate himself this badly that he was willing to push himself right to the outer limits to his endurance?   
“Alright. Fair enough. I’ll do better.” He said.

He didn’t see how he was going to accomplish such a feat, but it sounded good. Magnus’ face brightened. He smiled at him and stuck out his hand.

“Good. Friends?” He asked. That inner strength was going to be tested from the get go by the look of things. Touching Magnus, even something as innocent as handshake was a test of will power. He took it anyway and did his best to ignore the zing that shot up his arm and into the pit of his belly. 

Magnus gripped his hand for a little longer than necessary, but Alec ignored his annoying inner voice that had gotten out the white board and was furiously writing down each and every possible causes for him not to do this, and gave him a small smile back. If he only knew that the mere touch of his warm hand felt like he had been hooked up to the main power supply. 

He finally released his hand and pressed the button and they started up once more. Alec secretly flexed his hand as his flesh tingled. Work. He needed to throw himself into working out who the possible perp might be. Anything to get his mind off Magnus and any out of the question possibilities.

They arrived back at the penthouse and Raphael was standing in the door way waiting for them.

“Security said the elevator stopped between floors, was everything alright?” he asked.

“Yes, Raphael, everything is good. Alexander and I need to have a conversation, that’s all. What’s on the docket for today?” He put an arm around Raphael’s shoulders and Alec followed them into the penthouse. 

While Magnus was tied up for most of the day with meetings with various people regarding his next performance, Alec decided to throw himself headlong into the lists that Raphael had given him the day before. He hadn’t really looked into it well enough, so he decided to take it to his room and make a start. 

He went in and closed the door. It was done in soft shades of blue and cream, very restful. Magnus had a great decorator. He’d brought his laptop with him and he was glad to see that there was a simple desk on the wall opposite the door. His bag still sat on the bed and he smiled when he saw that it hadn’t been touched, save being put in the room. Maybe there was hope yet. 

He put his clothes in the wardrobe and hung his shirts and suit pants and spare jacket. He had hidden his small hand gun in the bottom and he stashed it in the draw under his underwear. He put the computer on the table and plugged in the power cord. He fired it up and then dug out the file with the lists from the bottom of the bag. 

He started with the resent employees and used the services connected with Shadowhunters to check each one. It took him a couple of hours, but he got to the end of the list and apart from the odd outstanding parking fine or minor infringement, he found nothing that stood out. He got up and stretched his back and heard a knock at his door. 

“Yes?” 

It opened, and Raphael stuck his head in.

“there’s fresh coffee out here if you’re interested.” He told him. He sure was. 

“Great, thanks.” He said, and he went out the door. It was quiet today and Magnus wasn’t anywhere to be seen. A fact that gave him both comfort and an annoying poke in the belly.

An older woman was working behind the counter and Alec presumed that this was the bomb proof house keeper, Margret. She looked like someone’s nice aunt or grandma and wondered if she treated Magnus that way. There was a plate of cookies and rich looking brownies next to the coffee pot, along with the white mugs. 

Raphael introduced him to Margret and he gave her a polite smile. She seemed nice and he wondered how the woman coped with the ‘organised chaos’ as Magnus had described it. She looked like she’d be one of those people who were totally unflappable in any situation she was put in. Lucky her. Alec sat at the table with Raphael and nibbled at a brownie he’d taken off the plate. 

“So, did you find anything interesting on that list I gave you?” He asked over the rim of the coffee cup. 

The guy had serious gorgeous eyes. God, he really had to stop thinking these things. Didn’t he have enough to deal with drooling over Magnus, now he had to start eyeing Raphael? What was wrong with him?

“No, not really. Everyone currently employed here looks squeaky clean with regards to anything vaguely criminal like. I haven’t gotten to the ex-employees yet, I’ll do that after this.” Alec told him. 

Raphael nodded. Alec could tell he was mulling something over, his face had grown even more serious than it normally looked. 

“I hope everything is alright between you and Magnus. I know he can be a hand full at times, but he’s basically a good guy when you get to know him.” He eventually said.

“Yeah, no, it’s fine.” Alec didn’t elaborate any further. He knew that Raphael was probably hinting about the elevator incident but what could he tell him? It was hard enough lying to Magnus about the real reason he had acted the way he had let alone his PA as well.

“I told you that I’ve known Magnus the longest of anyone here and that’s because we’ve been friends since high school. I’ve watched him slowly emerge from a rough home life bit by bit to become the confident showman he is today. It’s rare to see it, but he does still have that softer side, it’s well buried these days but it is there.” 

Alec looked a Raphael and his brow creased. He wondered why he was telling him this. It seemed a pretty personal thing to be telling an almost complete stranger. It wasn’t as if he was going to be a permanent fixture around here, once this got sorted out, he’d be gone and onto the next job. He had no doubt that six months from now, Magnus would be lucky to remember his name, but he didn’t think he’d get out of it as unscathed. 

“Why are you telling me this, Raphael? How is it related to anything regarding this job?” 

“I’m telling you this because in spite of how he acts, Magnus has a vulnerable side. He might look like he breezes through life and brushing people aside like annoying insects, but things do get to him. This, has rattled him. He hates thinking that there might be someone out there that he’s done or said something to that’s caused this. And on top of that, I can tell he likes you.” 

There was something in the way Raphael said those last few words that made Alec’s skin prickle. What did he mean by like, exactly? Like like? Or just friend like? Christ, how middle school could he get? What was he, twelve? 

“I didn’t get that impression. I think we’ve agreed to tolerate each other at best.” Alec said, trying to forget any further thoughts about the meaning behind Raphael’s admission. 

“Well, we’ll see. I just don’t want him hurt in any way.” Alec tensed. 

“Neither do I. That’s why I’m here. I better get on with that other list.” Alec rose and headed for the bedroom again. This conversation was getting a tad too deep for his tastes. He didn’t want to entertain the thought that Raphael might mean anything more that the way Alec had taken it or appeared to of taken it. If he only knew what had happened in the gym that morning, he might have really let him have it. 

One thing was for certain, he had to really keep a lid on his thoughts where Magnus was concerned. He couldn’t let himself slip like he had this morning ever again. Raphael didn’t look like the type of person that should be crossed and he seemed fiercely protective of his friend. He wondered how he ended up as he PA? A story for another time, perhaps. 

He went back to the desk and his laptop and the list. He’d been right, there were only about a dozen names on it and the reasons for their leaving Magnus’ employ were all fairly standard; moving away, change of circumstances, one pregnancy, a couple of people actually cited the work was too hectic and they couldn’t cope with it, and then there was the ex-driver. He was the only one that had actually been fired. 

The reason for his dismissal was given as inappropriate use of the car and stealing. The last word got Alec’s attention. Stealing, eh? He wondered what it was that he’d tried to lift. He would definitely be red flagging this guy. He looked at his name. Raj. Just, Raj. What the hell? Who the heck was this guy that he only had one name? Another question for Raphael. 

He got up and went back out to the kitchen, but Raphael was no longer there. Even bomb proof Margret was absent. Alec gave a shrug and then decided to go down the hall way towards the other rooms. He needed to do this anyway. After the floor show he’d been treated to in Magnus’ apartment sized closest, the layout for this end of the place had completely been wiped from his memory. 

He closed door but couldn’t hear anything so he kept going. The door on the other side of that was the main bathroom and stood slightly ajar so he poked his head in. Wow, just, wow. 

The room was done in a cream textured tile with gold accents to match the rest of the apartment, except for his room and Magnus’, of course. A large corner tub sat in one corner and a huge double shower opposite that. The counter had two sinks that looked like hand turn bowls with taps that had elegant gooseneck bends in them. Baskets with fluffy looking cream towels in them along with bottles of what could have been moisturiser sat in them. Something that Alec would of thought to be seen in a luxury hotel room. Alec was now looking forward to testing out that shower later tonight. 

He closed the door and then headed for the only other door he remembered from the day before which was Magnus’ bedroom. The door was closed, and he strained his hearing to see if he could detect any signs of life, but all was silent. He really didn’t want to disturb whatever he was doing in there, if in fact, he was in there, but he needed answers about the ex-driver. 

Alec knocked softly on the door.

“Magnus? Are you in there?” He called, and he realised that it was the first time his name had passed his lips. Maybe he should have stuck to the more formal Mr Bane, but Magnus had said that he wanted things to be more congenial between them. 

Silence.

Alec knocked again, a little louder this time but it gave him the same result. He tried the handle and it gave way and he slowly pushed the door open just a crack.

“Magnus?” He called but got no reply. Now fairly certain that he wasn’t in there any way, he pushed the door wider and took a step into the room. Once again, the huge four poster caught his eye but magnus was nowhere to be seen. He thought about going into the closet and the bathroom, but he didn’t want to invade his private space. This looked like a place where he retreated to have time to himself. A faint noise from outside caught his attention and he stepped back into the hall and closed the door. 

Alec turned, and it was then that he noticed the door that was at the end of a short hall to his right. He walked the few steps to stand in front of the closed door and had just raised his hand to knock when he heard a sound that could only be described as an arc of electricity. The zing cut through the air and whether or not it was that or just the unusual nature of the sound, Alec felt the hair on his arms standing up. That was weird. What the heck was going on in there? 

He thought about knocking again but something told him maybe he better not disturb whatever was going on as another similar sounding noise rent the air. He lowered his hand and decided to head off back to his room. The questions could wait. 

He got to the corner when he heard the door open and he turned to see Raphael emerging from the room. 

“Were you looking for me or Magnus?” He asked, quickly closing the door behind him. 

“Yeah, but if you’re busy it can wait.” Alec said. What he really wanted to ask was what the sound had been that he’d just heard, and the question was poised at the back of his tongue. He reminded himself that it was truly none of his business. 

“No, it’s fine. What can I help you with?” Raphael asked, coming up to him.

“This ex driver that was fired, Raj? What can you tell me about that?” 

“Raphael gave the closed door he’d just come from a quick glance, and then turned back to Alec.

“Shall we go out to the day room?” He said with a smile. Alec got the feeling that whatever went on behind that door was on a need to know basis and he clearly didn’t need to. 

They went out and sat at the small table again. Margret had reappeared and was now preparing food for lunch.

“Raj was let go because he took the car without permission and used it to take some friends of his somewhere. He’d only been with us for a short time, but he’d only have needed to ask and he probably would have been allowed to do it anyway. It was his attitude about it that was the real issue. He acted like he’d had every right to do what he had.” Raphael explained.

“But what about the stealing? Was it anything too valuable?” 

“It depends on what you call valuable. Somehow, after he’d been in the car one day, Magnus’ cell phone fell out of his pocket and got left on the back seat. It was a while before he noticed its absence and when I asked Raj about it, he told me he hadn’t seen it. We searched the car for it, I even personally carried out the task and of course it wasn’t there. I organised for the number to be blocked right away and another phone to replace it. A few days later, the PR people alerted us to the fact that somehow, some photos of a very sensitive nature had been splashed about on social media. 

There was only one source from where whoever it was, could have gotten them from and that was the phone. We may never have found out who it was expect luckily for us, Raj had a big mouth and was overheard bragging about it to someone and after the police were called and his house searched, they found the phone. He was terminated on the spot.” 

Alec wondered if the pictures, whatever they had been, were still out there on the world wide web somewhere, but he didn’t want to ask what they’d been of directly to Raphael. Maybe it was best not to know anyway. He had to live with the guy for a while and once something was seen, you couldn’t unsee it. He’d learned that lesson in a big way since being here. 

“Do you think that Raj could be responsible for this trouble?” He asked him.

“I doubt it. The man was no rocket scientist, and I think he made enough money in the very short time that the pictures were out not to worry about getting anymore. He probably did it after he was chastised for taking the car for a joy ride with his friends.” 

Alec nodded, but decided to look into the guy for himself, see what he was up to now. 

Just before he was about to get up and go back to his room, Magnus came out from the hall way. Alec noted that he looked a little pale and his face was shiny as if he’d just been exercising. Hadn’t he done enough this morning? Was the room behind that door a personal gym? It didn’t really make sense if it did, why would he go out to do that if he had one at home? Couldn’t Sergei come here? 

Raphael got up and brought Magnus a glass of juice as he sat down at the other table. He filled Magnus in on what he and Alec had been talking about.

Magnus downed the juice in one go and held the glass out for a refill. Whatever he’d been doing, he must have expelled some energy doing it. 

“Oh yes, the rocket scientist known as Raj. Note to self, never employ someone who has only one name. The man cost me money in more ways than one.” He said, accepting the refilled glass from Raphael. 

“Do you think he might be behind this?” Alec asked him. He was interested in getting Magnus’ thoughts on it, even though Raphael had already told him it wasn’t him.

“No, the man would have gotten brain damage from a sneeze. He just didn’t like getting ticked off about the car and thought he’d make a buck in the process. It gave me and the PR crew a headache for a few days and quite a few people got to see more of me than they should of along with a couple of others, but luckily the pictures got pulled down from the site and that was it.” He said, sipping the drink. 

So maybe he was at square one again with this, but he still wanted to look further into the mysterious Mr Raj. 

After lunch, Magnus retired to his room for a couple of hours before he had meetings with his manager and stage crew about his upcoming show. It was around four o’clock before he emerged again. In that time, Alec had done another check of the penthouse and had even gone up on the roof to look around. It was a hell of a view from up there, and an alfresco entertaining area had been created, complete with strings of fairy lights and outdoor lounges. 

He had just gotten back to his room and was scrolling through his phone when there was a soft knock on the door and Magnus stuck his head in.

“There’s an indoor pool on the floor below here, and I thought I might take a dip, want to join me?” He asked.

“Of course, where you go, I go.” Alec said getting off the bed and grabbing his coat.

“I mean in the pool itself, Alexander. It wouldn’t hurt you to unwind a little.” 

Alec felt that now all too familiar jolt of electricity fire down his spine. Magnus. In a pool. Wet. Bare chested. Oh shit. He had to go, there was no question of that, but he didn’t know about actually getting in the water. 

“Oh, come on, live a little. If you don’t have shorts, you can borrow a pair of mine.” Magnus said and waited, eyebrows raised, for his answer. 

At least the cool water would disguise any evidence of the way Magnus made him feel, and he was fairly sure that seeing him scantily clad and dripping wet was sure to get him rigid again. Oh well, it would be another test of endurance. 

“Okay, fine.” He said and dropped the coat. 

Magnus got Margret to get him a pair of black silky looking shorts and they took the elevator down a level and went to the pool. The room was empty, and a fine steamy mist hung above the water. It felt like the tropics in here. Underwater lighting gave the water an ethereal glow and made the clinical white tiled walls feel other worldly. Magnus pointed to a door to the left.

“There’s a changing room if you want to get into those shorts. Or you can strip off right here, I’m not shy.” He gave Alec an innocent look that made his skin tingle. 

That was for damn sure.

He mightn’t have a problem with getting naked in front of anyone, but Alec sure did. He gave him a look to convey that thought before heading for the door.   
Alec took off his clothes but chose to leave his boxers on underneath, a bit of an insurance policy, and pulled on the shorts. Magnus was narrower in the waist and hips than he was, and it showed. The shorts were a snug fit and Alec took a look at himself before he went back out. They weren’t too form fitting, thank god, but they left no room for growth. This would truly be a test of will power for him. Even the slightest hint of arousal was going to show in these. 

He looked at the rest of his body. In comparison to Magnus, he was going to look like uncooked chicken. He had such beautiful coloured skin. Nope, stop right there, he thought to himself, that train of thought was going to lead right where he didn’t want to be. He took a deep breath and went out the door.

Magnus had changed into his shorts while he had been gone and he was standing by the side of the glowing water. No, he wasn’t going to think how damn hot the man looked standing there like that. Or about the way his pecs and abs added enticing contours to his body. And he certainly wasn’t going to read anything into the way he was looking at him up and down with more than a glint in those big dark eyes of his. 

“There you are, I was beginning to think- well that doesn’t matter. Shall we?” he said, waving towards the water. 

He didn’t wait for a reply and he dove elegantly into the pool, barely making a splash. He surfaced, wiping the water from his face and pushing back the strands of hair from his forehead. Did the guy have to look like he was selling men’s cologne or something equally as sexy all the time? Alec dipped his toe in the water and it felt like a luke warm bath. So much for the cold water theory. He looked into its depths just before he stepped in and thought, traitor. 

He slowly emerged his whole body and it was like being enveloped in a big warm blanket. It felt so great on his tense body and he paddled to the side.

“Good isn’t it? It’s a mineral pool and supposed to do great things for you. I try to come down here at least twice a week, it relaxes me so much. Hopefully it’ll do the same thing for you.” Magnus said as he drifted through the water. Alec went on the defensive.

“I am relaxed.” An image of Pinocchio filled his head with his nose stretching right out in front of him. Magnus gave a disbelieving laugh. He wasn’t buying it.  
“Of course, you are, Alexander, and I’m going to be the next president of the United States.” He chuckled.

“Seriously?” Alec said, he still didn’t know Magnus well enough to know when he was joking or serious. 

“You don’t think I should run? I’m pretty sure I could do a better job than the current one.” He looked thoughtfully up to the ceiling. 

“I’m thinking about declaring Friday all day happy hour, what do you think?” He deadpanned. 

Alec wasn’t sure what to say to that. He got a signature eye roll.

“Will you lighten up, Alexander. I was joking. God, do you even know how to relax? If you were any stiffer, I could use you for surfing.” Magnus gave him an incredulous look. Was he really that uptight? Apparently, he was.

“I don’t get much down time.” He said, now feeling even more awkward than before. 

It was a lame excuse, but it was the first thing that he had thought of.

“Are you kidding? look at you, your wound up tighter than a cheap watch. What do you do when you aren’t working, think of ways to reinvent the wheel, solve world hunger?” 

Now he was making him pissed off again. Wise ass Magnus got under his skin big time.

“No, I watch movies and hang out with my friend from the Agency.” 

“So, you do have a social life? Where do you two gentlemen go clubbing? I have several favourites around the city, not that I get a chance to visit them too often. Work takes a lot of my time these days.” 

“We mostly hang out at my place or I go to Jace’s.” He hadn’t meant to slip and tell Magnus Jace’s name, but he’d said it without thinking.

He never discussed his personal life with clients, it was none of their business and didn’t relate to his ability to do his job. A fact that he would have to keep reminding himself with this one. 

“Sounds like a barrel of laughs, you two are such party animals, how do you do it?” The sarcasm was dripping off his words like the water that was running over his soft skin. 

“Not everyone gets to party with the A listers, Magnus. My job takes up a lot of my time as well.” And here Alec had been worried about getting turned on again; now he was more concerned with keeping his temper under control, especially when Magnus gave him an exaggerated, wide eyed look.

“Saints preserve us, he said my name! I was beginning to think you’d forgotten it and don’t tell me about demanding work, I have the east coast franchise on that. You get to go home after you finish your job, and no one bothers you. You can go where you like, see who you please. I step one foot outside this building and there’s a camera in my face. I meet someone at a party or a club and it’s splashed all over the cover of every magazine and tabloid in the country. I sneeze, and someone has written an article that I have pneumonia. Try living with that twenty-four seven.” 

Alec could concede that life in the public eye was demanding. He certainly couldn’t do it. He’d spent a life time keeping himself to himself, blending into the back ground.

“How do you do it, then?” He asked Magnus, and genuinely wanted to know.

“I have a great support team around me that doesn’t let me get too big headed about things and do their best to run a tight ship where my schedule is concerned. As I said before, organised chaos. I try to get some down time regularly as well. Here is good and a few drinks at the end of the day goes along way as well.” 

Magnus glided through the water towards him and Alec felt his pulse quicken, being in close proximity to this man did strange things to his insides.  
Magnus came up beside him and leaned both his arms across the side of the pool. Alec felt a shiver run through him as he tried not to think too much about how damn hot his arms looked like that. Biceps bulging and tendons rolling under the glistening skin of his forearms. Please don’t keep thinking about how good it would taste to lick the water of that golden skin, he told himself and swallowed hard.

“So, you said earlier that you aren’t dating anyone. How long has it been since you did?” Alec was surprised by the question. Normally, clients just liked him to get on with the job and kept conversation to a minimum and it was never anything personal. He stiffened again.

“Is it entirely necessary for you to know that?” He said. Not only were the walls up, they were getting reinforced as well.

“I’m just trying to understand you here Alexander, and I was wondering if it might be lack of female companionship that had you so wound up.” He said, looking right at him. 

Magnus bane clearly believed in speaking his mind, and Alec really wished he’d employ some sort of filtering system. At the moment, all he could think about was the way the soft underwater light lit his face and reflected in those dark eyes was making his pulse race. Alec knew he had to choose his words carefully here and going on the theory that a good offence was good defence, he decided to turn the subject of their conversation back around.

“I think what would be more pertinent is for me to ask you if there are there any exes I need to know about? Anyone you’ve dumped and might feel slighted over it?”  
It was a reasonable enough question, he thought, considering he was there to protect him. Trouble was, why was he feeling breathless waiting for his answer.   
“I tend to wear them out rather then toss them out, but no, I don’t think so. I very rarely see someone beyond a second date. My life isn’t conducive to long term relationships.” 

Alec noted that there was a hint of sadness in his words. Even someone like Magnus Bane who had the world at his feet still wanted the basics in life like someone to love and to be loved back. Money couldn’t buy that.

“Hey, race you to the other end?” He said, and if Alec didn’t know better, he’d say he was changing the subject. He smiled. Okay. It looked like he had found Mr Bane’s soft spot. Long term relationships or lack of. 

“Sure. But I have to warn you, I swam in high school.” He said, wading through the warm water to the end of the pool. Magnus gave a chuff of laughter.

“I think I have a few years on you, Alexander. First one to the end owes the other a favour. Redeemable at a later time.” That was a strange sort of prize but okay.

He could live with that; in spite of Magnus’ hint of being the better swimmer, he was pretty sure he could take him. 

“Sure, okay. Let’s do this.” Alec said, the long buried competitive streak in him woken for the first time in a long while. 

“We go on three…. One…. two….. THREE!”


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my god, he couldn’t believe he’d actually lost their race and their bet. Sure, he wasn’t a gym junkie like Magnus was, but he did go at least twice a week, mostly. Maybe he should start joining him and Sergei. 

Magnus had cut through the water like a shark’s fin. He had him from the second they had started. He was pretty sure he knew he was going to beat him right from the start. He was way too happy about it. The way he fist pumped the air and shouted, “yes! Woo hoo!” a few times got old really quick. He especially didn’t like thinking that now he owed the man a favour. It made his stomach knot thinking about what the hell that might mean. 

After another half a dozen more casual laps, they got out, dried off, and went back up to the penthouse. Magnus never lost the smirk for the entire time. Alec tried to ignore the sneaky looks he kept giving him; he knew it was stupid and it had been just a silly way to pass the time, but Alec felt like he was getting his nose rubbed in it with each glance he got. He could just hear the cogs turning in that good looking head of his, thinking of what he was going to get him to do for him. Well, if it was too stupid or dangerous, or worse yet, embarrassing, he just wouldn’t do it. The thing was though, Alec had never welched on a bet before and he really didn’t want to start now. 

One good thing had come out of their trip to the pool, Alec got to test out that luxurious shower. He had started the water and once he got in, he noticed the controls for it on the wall. The water showered over him from a large square head and after a push of a button, the large glassed space was filled with a green glow. There was actually a light in the shower head and he discovered that it could change colours, as well. It was pretty cool and took showering to a whole new level. Trust Magnus to have something like this. 

Dinner was so good. It was like eating at a really great restaurant without leaving home. Certainly beat the microwavable meals and pizza that Alec tended to favour. 

After dinner was over, Alec decided to do a security check on the place before he intended to head for his room. Everything was as it should be, locked and alarmed, and he was heading back towards the formal living area, when he saw the sheer curtain blowing into the room. 

His heart stopped for a second, thinking the worsed, and he cursed himself for not carrying his gun. He crept up quietly towards the open balcony door and peered around the edge of the curtain. Magnus was standing outside, leaning on the ledge with a drink in one hand.   
Alec let out a sigh of relief, and Magnus turned.

So, are we all safe and secure, Alexander?” he asked.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. You had me worried for a minute though,” Alec said, stepping out into the cool night air. “I wasn’t expecting you to be out here.”  
Magnus smiled at him and turned back towards the view. “Did you think Spiderman was making an appearance after all?” The smile turned into a cheeky grin. 

Magnus’ jocularity over this whole security detail rubbed him the wrong way a little. He didn’t seem to realise how serious this all was. If he had been in his job for any length of time, he’d know that the dangers out there were real for people in the public eye. The greater the fame the higher the risk. It went with the territory.

Alec thought about telling him of his concerns, but Magnus looked way too relaxed and chilled out, leaning on the flat top of the ledge, his deep chocolate brown eyes reflecting the bright lights before him. 

“Why not come over here and join me.” Magnus invited. 

Alec was hesitant to do so for a couple of reasons; one, it would mean getting close to him and he was fairly sure he was going to get hit with that exotic sexy scent of his and get all foggy headed again, and two, he didn’t usually make it a habit to get chummy with clients. It was okay to be friendly with them, but he had to remember that their interactions were a temporary thing and he would be in and out of their lives in a short space of time. This wasn’t a job to be making hard and fast friendships. Or any other sort of connection, for that matter. 

But the view from up here was certainly worth making the exception for, it was breathtaking. He’d seen the city at night countless times over the years, but it took on a whole new look from up here. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to be a little friendlier. 

“I have a small confession to make,” Magnus said, as he looked out at the thousands of lights from the other buildings. “I guess it’s no secret that I wasn’t thrilled to have you here. I don’t like change, and strangers in my house, invading my personal space, but Raphael was insistent after the car was tampered with. Even though I seem to make light of all this, the thing with the car did unnerve me.

I guess I’ve managed to work in this craziness for a while now unscathed from any nastiness and even though Raphael has told me on more than a few occasions not to take it personally, it’s hard not to.” He took a sip from his glass as Alec stood by him, listening. He sighed and turned to face him. 

“I suppose what I mean to say is that, I do feel safer knowing that you’re here, Alexander. It hasn’t taken away all the worry for me, but it’s certainly eased it a great deal.”

Alec felt slightly shook by this, it was as if the guy had read his thoughts. Besides anything else, at least it seemed that Magnus may be taking this more seriously than he first thought, which was a good thing. 

“I’m glad that you feel that way. I’ll do my best to get this guy.” Alec told him. 

“I have no doubt.” Magnus said to him and they both turned back towards the city lights, both lost in their own thoughts. 

Alec wasn’t sure what had disturbed him from his sleep. Suddenly his eyes were open, and he was looking into the darkness of the bedroom. A pale blue light was creeping from around the edges of the curtain giving him just enough light to make out the objects in the room. 

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around. Nothing was out of place, it was all as he had left it before he had finally closed his eyes. He picked up his phone and looked at the times. Little after three am, He’d only been asleep for about three hours then. 

He keened his hearing, trying to listen for any misplaced sound in the quiet penthouse. 

Nothing. Oh well, he’d probably just woken up because of his new surroundings. It usually took him a couple of nights to adapt to a new place, a new bed and a situation. This job wouldn’t be any different from all the others he had been on. 

Alec was about to lay back down when a faint scraping sound came from out side his room. He immediately felt his senses go on high alert and he got out of bed as quickly and quietly as he could and went to the draw where he had stashed his gun under his underwear and went to the door, opening it as soundlessly as possible.

He poked his head out and looked up and down the hall way. It was lit by small soft lights coming from the bottom of the walls, small pools of light spilling over the white tiles. He went out, crept towards the day room, pausing to try to hear any further disturbances, before he started for the main living room and the front door. 

He rounded the corner and looked towards the door. More scraping noises. Alec flew towards the door. Fuck! It was open! Just a crack but it was open. Whether the would-be intruder heard his breathing or what he didn’t know but suddenly there was a pause, a quick flash of a figure running passed the narrow crack in the door, and then the sound of another door out in the entrance lobby being opened could be heard.

Why hadn’t the alarms gone off? 

Alec felt his heart racing as he yanked open the door from the inside and charged across the lobby towards the slowly closing door. Behind him he could hear a frantic voice from inside the penthouse, somehow Magnus was awake. He must have heard the break in as well somehow. 

“Alexander! What’s going on?” Alec turned to see him standing in the doorway, bare chested and in a pair of midnight blue satin pyjama pants, and in spite of the seriousness of the situation, the sight of him did something to his insides. 

“Just stay inside and wait for me! Someone went down the stairs. I’m going after them.” He called back to him as he reached for slowly closing door. 

He just managed to catch it on the edge before it closed, so that he didn’t have to put his hand on the knob and ruin any finger prints that might be on it. He could hear footsteps rapidly descending the stairs and he charged down after them, peering down over the railing to see if he could see anything. 

“STOP! DON’T MOVE!” he shouted at the sight of a shadow at least two flights ahead of him. Whoever it was paused for a second or two before running again and Alec doubled his efforts to try to reach him before he made it to the lobby. 

The sound of voices further down came up the stair well and the first thing Alec thought was good, the security team down stairs are onto it and are coming at him from the ground floor. But then he heard the sound of another door opening and he knew that whoever it was, had gone into one of the floors below.   
Alec raced down the next two flights of stairs, hoping to be able to tell which floor it was from the slow moving doors, but by the time he had passed two, he realised that these doors must closed quicker than the one on the penthouse level. 

Fuck!

He took a chance and went into the fourth floor down from the top level and he stood panting hard, looking up and down either end of the hall way. Nothing. Damn! 

He decided to check out the floor anyway and headed to his left and sprinted along the carpeted hall looking either side of him. He turned the corner and headed for the end. Still nothing. He had probably misjudged the floor. 

He slowed up and was about to catch his breath when he heard the ping of the elevator doors and he flew down the corridor and turned the corner just in time to see the doors closing on the lift. He looked up at the numbers and saw then descending and he raced to the stairs again.

So many things were racing through his mind as he took each step two at a time, not caring that he might trip or worse yet, fall. He found himself worrying about Magnus and preying that whoever it was hadn’t somehow tricked him into thinking that he was heading for the ground floor and doubled back instead to get another shot at him. No, he would be fine. Hopefully the police would be here soon, and he’d be out of danger. 

His chest was burning by the time he was almost to the lobby. This was the most exercise he’d gotten in a long while. He made a mental note to really put some more effort in at the gym. 

He finally saw the lobby door and expelled the last of his energy in pushing it open. The place was deserted. No residents were around, not surprising for three in the morning, but the concierge wasn’t behind the desk either. 

Alec dragged some air into his lungs and wiped the sweat from his brow as he headed for the door marked “security”. He knocked but got no answer. Surely to god there was at least one of them in there.

He tried the door and opened it, revealing a disturbing sight. Both the guards were flopped back in their chairs, eyes closed. If he didn’t know better, Alec would of thought they were both asleep but he sore some small spots of blood on the floor below their heads. 

He went over to them and checked pulses before anything else. Both strong. But he had no idea how long they had been unconscious for, and they needed medical help. He’d taken off without his phone and it was only after the reflex action of patting at his clothes searching for it, did he realise that he was only in a t shirt and his boxers. 

He grabbed the phone on the desk next to one of the monitors and called the emergency number for and ambulance and the police, just in case they hadn’t been summoned by the alarm. 

He went back out to look around the lobby but of course, it was a waste of time, whoever had come down here was gone now. He heard a gasp and he turned around to see the concierge, staring open mouthed into the security office. Well he certainly looked unharmed. Alec frowned, so how was that possible?  
“Hey, where were you just now?” He called over to the stunned looking man. He managed to pull his wide eyes away from the two injured guards to look at Alec and his mouth twitched up slightly in one corner when he saw him. 

“I asked you a question, where the hell were you?” Alec repeated, frowning at him. Surely the guy had seen someone in his underwear before.

“Uh, I was on a break. What the fuck happened to Mike and Harry?” he said, gesturing towards the office behind him.

“There’s been a break in or an attempted break in in the penthouse. I have to check the monitors and the alarm signal down here. They should be both working but they aren’t.” Alec went back inside the office and gently rolled the guards back in their chairs. One of them started to moan. That was a good sign.   
Alec saw a small flashlight on the desk and turned it on and peered down underneath it. Several of the wires had been cut. No wonder police hadn’t been called before now. Alec got back up.

“I have to go back up to make sure Mr Bane is alright. Stay here, the police and ambulance should be here soon. Tell them to come up to the penthouse.” He instructed the concierge before heading for the elevator.

If this didn’t put the wind-up Magnus and make him realise that whoever this was meant business, nothing would. Suddenly, Alec’s mind was filled with unwanted images of his employer. What if it had all been a diversion to get him out of the place so he could go back and hurt him. 

He ran for the elevator, just as the sounds of sirens were coming from outside. He had to check on Magnus, he shouldn’t have left him un attended for this long.   
The elevator seemed to take forever to get to the penthouse. Every minute had Alec’s anxiety over Magnus’ welfare ratcheting up a notch. The door finally opened, and he raced to the door. He pressed the buzzer and waited, ear pressed to the door, hoping to hear any signs of life. 

One minute passed. Then two. Fuck! Where was he?

Images of Magnus sprawled unconscious and bleeding on the floor filled his head and he banged on the door with his fist.

“Magnus! Its me! Let me in.” He yelled. And his heart raced as his demand was met by silence. He banged on the door once more and called him again, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He should of thought about getting a key from him for situations like this. 

He thought about his options at that point; he tried the door and it was locked of course, he had told Magnus to stay in there until he got back, he didn’t think putting his shoulder into it was any good either. The only thing to do was to go back down and get the concierge to let give him a spare key. 

He was about to turn back to the elevator when the door opened, and Magnus stood before him.

Alec let out a relieved breath that he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He took a surprised Magnus by the arms and pushed him back inside the door, peering into his face.

“Are you alright? Nobody came up here?” Alec said, still getting his breath back. He took Magnus in, looking him over, searching for any signs of injury. Magnus’ mouth quirked up to one side.

“No, Alexander. I’m fine. Did you catch them? What happened?” 

The look of fear in Magnus’ eyes nearly brought him undone. This wasn’t new, he’d seen this so many times in other clients, the realisation that they weren’t as safe as they once thought they were. But how it was affecting him after seeing it in his eyes, was totally new. And it scared him to death. 

Alec gathered his thoughts; he couldn’t do this, he had a job to do. Magnus Bane was a job, just like all the others he’d done over the years he’d been a body guard. He summoned all his strength and fought against the near overwhelming desire to take him into his arms and hold him and tell him that he would protect him. That everything was okay.

“No, he beat me to the lobby on the elevator. The police should be hear soon. Whoever it was knocked out the guards and cuts the wires to the monitors and the alarms. Hopefully, the police will be able to get fingerprints off the door knobs here and the one for the stair well.” Alec said, trying to keep as much emotion out of his voice as possible. 

Magnus visibly slumped. He was still unsettled but he had relaxed a little. He looked back up to Alec.

“Thank god you’re here. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t of been. Raphael usually stays here but he had some family business tonight. Thank you Alexander, for rescuing me.” 

Magnus took a step forward and put a hand on Alec’s arm and he felt his knees wanting to go weak. The look of gratitude on his face was more then genuine. Magnus might be the world’s best illusionist, but tonight, this incident had exposed that soft underside, that vulnerability, that Raphael had eluded to. And it was a sight to behold. 

Alec felt like for the first time since he had met him, he was finally seeing the true Magnus Bane, and he was a thousand times more alluring than the one he thought he knew. But he dropped his eyes, not to avert his gaze from the handsome face before him, but because he was being thanked for something he hadn’t done. 

“No, Magnus, don’t thank me. I didn’t get to the guy in time, I haven’t rescued you at all. I just put a kink in his plans. I don’t want to make things worse, but he’ll try again. I’m sure of it.” He said and tried not to think about the fact that Magnus’ hand was still on his arm. 

“But you did rescue me. Think what would have happened if you hadn’t of been here, if you hadn’t of heard him trying to get in? And if he does try this again, then you’ll be here to stop him, and I’m sure next time, you’ll grab him.” He said, and he smiled softly to him.   
Alec felt like an ass; he should be trying to reassure Magnus, making him feel better, and instead his client was giving him a pep talk. Unbelievable. 

It was nearly dawn before they finally got to bed again. Alec went and got some clothes on before the police arrived, while Magnus had stayed in his robe and pyjamas. The showman facade was back up by then and he hammed it up for the cops, who were more than a little star struck anyway, acting like it had been no big deal. 

By the time they left, Raphael had arrived and wasn’t happy that he hadn’t been told about what had happened. 

“There was nothing you could have done anyway. Alexander was here to save the day.” Magnus told him, but he didn’t look convinced. 

Alec didn’t blame him, he didn’t really agree with Magnus either. He’d stopped whoever it was this time, but they’d been one step ahead of him. This time. Alec was determined that wouldn’t happen again.


	5. Chapter 5

Things settled down again over the next couple of days. Magnus threw himself into his work and there seemed to be more people then ever coming to the penthouse. Alec got a daily schedule off Raphael each morning, so he knew who was meant to be there and why. 

They heard back from the police and were told that there were no fingerprints in the doors, whoever had tried to break in, must have used gloves. Not a total imbecile then. That made Alec’s job a little harder. 

The whole incident had unsettled Magnus a little. For three days after, he wasn’t quite the bubbly talkative person he usually was. Wherever he went in the house, he made sure that Alec was with him. All except for the room at the end of the hall way. 

He had been going in there quite a bit more and staying longer. When he emerged after a couple of hours or longer sometimes, he looked worn out and pale as if what ever went on in there had taken quite a lot of energy. Alec wondered what it was that went on in the room and why it was that Raphael was the only person to know. He was his oldest friend, so he supposed he had a right to be in on it more than anyone.

One afternoon, Magnus wanted to go back to the pool again. Alec would have been lying if he had said he wasn’t looking forward to it. Even though the sight of a bare-chested Magnus got his blood boiling, he had really enjoyed the feel of the warm water lapping around him. Magnus had been right, it did help to relax him. 

Once again, he borrowed a pair of shorts from him and he changed when they got down there. As before, they were completely alone, both a good and bad thing, and this time he didn’t hesitate to get in right away. 

Magnus, of course, dove elegantly in, making very little disturbance on the water’s surface and came up wiping water from his face and shaking it out of his hair, which looked vastly different when it was wet. Alec preferred to just walk in down the steps and let the warm water envelope him. 

He swam a few laps with Magnus before they leaned back on the side of the pool, letting the minerals in the water do their work. Maybe there were certain advantages to this job after all, Alec thought as he felt his body unwinding. He had leaned his head back to rest it on the edge of the tiled surround of the pool and closed his eyes. He hadn’t been this mellowed out in days. Things had been pretty tense since the attempted break in. 

He didn’t know what made him look up, but when he did, Magnus was standing beside him, watching him. It unnerved him to have him as close to him as he was and knowing that he had been looking at him with those deep fathomless dark eyes of his didn’t help either. Having another guy looking at him like that did strange things to his insides.

“What?” Alec said, meeting his gaze. 

Things had gotten easier between them since the incident, but he was still determined to keep Magnus at arm’s length. Nothing had changed that way; he was still a client. An all be it extremely good looking one with skin that made his hands ache to touch and a pair of perfect lips that he had thought about many times of how good they might feel against his own. Stop! He had to stop thinking like this. 

“You look so different like this. Relaxed and off the job.” Magnus said. He was turned sideways, leaning his elbow on the side of the pool and resting his head against his hand. 

Alec wanted to say the same thing to him. When Magnus wasn’t around his entourage, hair gelled up, eyes made up, and acting like a diva, he was vastly different. Seeing him fresh faced and hair wet against his head, made him look young, innocent, somehow. Vulnerable. Sexier. Hotter. 

Not helping.

“I’m always on the job. I don’t change.” He told him.

“But you have. You aren’t as tense looking as you were when you first came here. God, you were so stiff and formal, I wanted to check to see if you had a battery compartment somewhere, that you were some kind of robot or something. But you’ve eased off from that and its better.” Magnus said. 

Alec could see his eyes roaming over his shoulders and face and it was making his heart beat faster. There was something about those beetle black eyes that seem to penetrate into him, like they could see passed the walls he had put up around himself, and that worried him more than anything. Was there some way that he could tell that he was gay? 

Alec internally admonished himself. Now he was just being silly. It wasn’t as if he had some invisible sign across his forehead advertising the fact. Besides, he still wasn’t a hundred percent sure where Magnus stood on that sort of thing. 

“Come on, I don’t think I was that bad, was I?” He said, trying not to think anymore about the subject of Magnus’ sexuality. 

“Oh yes you were, but you’ve softened a little in the last day or two. I like you much better like this, by the way. Makes me wonder what the totally off the clock Alexander Lightwood would look like.” 

Magnus smiled at him and something twinkled in his eyes that made Alec feel like he had just been zapped by static electricity. He really wished he’d stop looking at him like that. He had no idea how hard he was making things, both mentally and physically. 

Magnus’ forehead creased, and he reached out a hand and gently touched a faint white scar that ran over Alec’s collar bone. He’d barely touched him, but he felt a trail of fire across his skin and he flinched away.

“Hey, what are you doing?” He said, now completely rattled. Magnus ignored his reaction.

“Where did you get that?” He asked. His voice was rich and smooth and even though it was just a simple question, it sounded dark and sexy. Alec swallowed and tried to ignore the way his cock had began to press against the front of the tight shorts.

“A guy pulled a knife on me in a fight. I zigged, and he zagged. He was aiming for my neck and got me there instead.” Magnus winced and hissed in a breath.  
“Wow, I can’t imagine how much that would have hurt. Does that happen a lot? Getting hurt, I mean?” he asked.

“I didn’t feel it much at the time, adrenalin kicked in and it wasn’t until they were stitching me up that it started to ache. It doesn’t happen all that often, but it does happen.” Alec confessed.

He’d been lucky in this respect, considering he’d been in this job for five years. The few scars he did have had been relatively minor. 

“Got any more scars anywhere?” Magnus said. He made it sound like he was being casually interested but Alec couldn’t help thinking he detected something more hidden behind his words. 

Whether it was the warm mineral pool doing its job of releasing his tension and bringing his guards down just a little or for some reason, he was feeling a bit adventurous, he found himself turning to show Magnus the rough textured scar on his back. 

“Eww, that looks like you had a cheese grater dragged down your back.” He said, pulling a face. Alec couldn’t help laughing a little or thinking that Magnus’ face looked way too adorable when he did that.

“Ha, not quite, I got dragged on a road. That one, I did feel right away.” Alec told him. 

“Can I touch it?” He asked softly. 

Alec gave him a nod and he reached out a hand and ran his fingertips then his palm over it. The temptation to arch into the touch like a cat was almost too much to resist, But Alec scrunched his eyes up tight and bit down on his lip. He wasn’t giving in, he wasn’t giving in, he told himself over and over again. 

“Any more?” Magnus said as he turned around when he had removed his hand. Was it just wishful thinking on his part, or were Magnus’ eyes looking a little softer and heavier than they had been a while ago? It was probably just the fine mist of steam that was rising from the water making them look like that. 

“Yeah, one more. I got it going through a plate glass window. The guy was on drugs and went nuts. He was a skinny little dude, but he had the strength of about ten men after taking something. He just picked me up like a rag doll and threw me into the window. I was lucky that somehow, that’s the only place the glass got me. The doctor that stitched me up said I was about a millimetre from slicing into the muscle and needing surgery.” Alec said.

“That must have been really horrible. Where is it?” Magnus asked him. 

Alec hauled himself up onto the side of the pool and pulled the waistband of the shorts down a little.

The scar was now a white line that ran from just after his belly button to almost near his hip. Magnus waded around to stand before him, looking at the scar as if it had only happened recently. This time, he didn’t ask permission before he reached out and ran a finger tip along it’s full length. 

Alec felt himself flinch as if it had hurt, his hard abs contracting against Magnus’ touch. But it wasn’t caused from any residual pain from the old wound, it was because of the way Magnus’ fingers sent sparks showering through his insides and jetting straight for his crotch. His cock twitched inside the too small shorts and Alec made a small noise in his throat and then slide back into the water. Things had just gotten a bit too close for comfort.

Magnus looked at him, worried. ‘Oh, I’m sorry did I hurt you somehow?” Alec wished that had been the cause.

“No, it’s fine. It’s an old wound now. Maybe we should get back to the penthouse.” He said, trying not to sound as edgy as he felt. He didn’t wait for his answer, he waded across to the steps and got out, grabbing a towel from the pile that sat on a small table near the door of the changing rooms. 

Alec wrapped it around his waist and turned back just before he went to get back in his clothes.

Magnus was still watching him from in the pool.

“Coming?” He asked him, raising his brows questioningly. 

A slow easy smile fell over his face and he glided through the water to the steps. Alec pushed open the door to the change room before he had to endure the sight of that hot golden skinned body rising from the water, rivulets of it, streaming down him and making him look way to good to bare. 

He got in the room and went over to the bench where he had left his clothes. What had he been thinking, allowing Magnus to touch him like that? The guy was probably totally oblivious to how it had made him feel which made it even worse, but it hadn’t stopped Alec from experiencing urges and thoughts that he had no business having. 

His cock was throbbing now, pressed hard and uncomfortable in the tight-fitting shorts. The wet fabric wasn’t helping either. Alec towelled off his upper body, wiping over the places Magnus had touched him and tried not to dwell on the memory of it. 

He eased the wet shorts down and over his hips, the fine line of that last scar coming into view. He stepped out of the sodden material and began to dry off. The coolness of the room didn’t do much for his half hard boner and he was considering having to resort to the painful act of pinching himself again. 

He put one foot up on the bench, drying off his leg, willing the evidence of his runaway thoughts to back off. He looked down at the line on his belly and found himself pausing to trace its length. He closed his eyes as he moved his finger over it, his mind replacing his hand for Magnus’. 

The way his skin tingled and the sensation of the burning warmth that hit him right in his swelling cock, made him groan out loud. His eyes flew open in an instant as the involuntary sound passed his lips. His heart raced as his head jerked around to look in the direction of the door. Fuck, he was getting way too reckless. What it Magnus had come in? 

Suddenly the door opened and the man himself started to enter but he came to a sudden holt the minute he crossed the threshold. 

“Jesus, H. Christ.” 

The words were half whispered and sounded breathy. Alec felt his cheeks heat and he fumbled for the towel and as quickly as he could, got it around his waist and turned his back to him. 

“Shit, Magnus! Don’t you know how to knock?” He said, and he hoped that he wouldn’t detect the tremor in his voice, because he sure could. 

“Why would I knock, I knew it was only you in here. I thought you’d be done by now. Sorry.” He heard him say but there was no remorse what so ever in the last word uttered.

Alec tried not to think about what he had heard him say or what it might mean and gathered up his clothes awkwardly and headed for the bathroom. 

“You don’t have to leave on my account. If it makes you feel any better, I can turn around?” He heard him say behind him, but he ignored it and kept going through the door and to the nearest cubicle. 

He closed the door and locked it before letting himself release the breath he had been holding. 

Well, he didn’t have to worry about his hard on now; the shock of Magnus walking in on him completely naked had done the trick better than any pinch, but as for being a less painful option, the jury was still out on that one. 

He was mostly dry now, so he got dressed quickly. The less time he spent by himself contemplating every possible meaning of what Magnus had said as he had come in, the better. It had sounded like he had…. no, it didn’t matter what it had sounded like. Anything other than something innocent just couldn’t be in the picture. 

He was a client, a job, just like any other and he was there to keep him safe. As he left the cubicle and took a quick look in the mirror, brushing his fingers through his hair and ignoring his flushed face, somewhere in the back of his mind, that annoying little voice that had been making its presence known all too frequently lately, piped up again.

But he’s not the same as the others, is he? You never wanted to sleep with anyone else before. 

He took a final deep breath to steady himself before opening the door and going back out. Magnus was waiting for him near the door and they walked back up to the penthouse in an awkward silence. 

Great, it felt like they were back to square one again. 

That night, Alec felt restless as he lay in bed, trying to talk himself into sleep. Raphael had noticed the strangeness between them and had spent the time they had been eating dinner looking back and forth between them, but thankfully he didn’t ask either of them about it. 

Magnus had barely put down his knife and fork before saying that tomorrow was going to be a long day before he’d gotten up and went to his room.  
Alec was doing his final security check before Raphael left when he finally said something.

“Is everything alright between you and Magnus? You, didn’t have another disagreement or anything, did you?” 

Alec knew he was going to have to lie. There was no way he was going to tell Magnus’ PA and best friend that he’d gotten hard from him touching him and then seeing him walk in on him in the change room. Not to mention the half-whispered comment he’d made when he had. 

“No, we’re fine. I think Magnus is probably preoccupied about the rehearsal tomorrow.” Alec said.

Raphael frowned. “If he is, it’s not like him. He’s usually quite keyed up just before a performance. Perhaps it’s because of the security scare.” 

“Yeah, that’s probably it.” Alec said, and he hoped he sounded convincing. He wished that’s what it had been about.

When he did finally fall asleep, his dreams were plagued with images of he and Magnus in the pool. Everything was as it had happened but instead of Alec hurriedly getting out of the water, Magnus had pulled him back into it from where he had been sitting on the edge, and put his hands on either side of him, trapping him in his arms. 

Alec felt his heart racing and his breathing deepen as he held him captive not only with his body but in his gaze as well. He knew he was about to kiss him and he was both dying for it and scared out of his mind at the same time. 

He held his breath as he felt the first gentle brush of his lips on his and Magnus paused for a second or two, maybe to gauge his reaction, before he kissed him again, this time in earnest. 

Alec let out a sigh that was muffled by their joined mouths and released the pent-up breath through his nose. He felt as if he had been holding that breath forever, waiting for this to happen, and now it had finally, he could breathe properly for the first time in forever. 

He felt Magnus move closer against him, and one hand left the pool edge to card through the back of his damp hair. Alec was getting harder by the minute and he couldn’t help the small tilt of his hips into him and he felt fire rage through him when he discovered that he was just as horny as he was. 

Magnus left his mouth and worked his way down the side of his cheek, along his jaw and then down to his neck, where he mouthed at the wet salty skin. Alec moaned and tipped his head back against the tiles and allowed himself to get completely lost in the sensation of it. 

Just before he reached out to put his hands on Magnus’ waist the dream evaporated and he woke up, eyes going wide and panting hard.

He scrubbed his face into his hands, wiping the dampness from his forehead. Fuck, not again. Like the first time he had dreamed about him, Alec was hard and agonisingly close to his release. He so wanted to take himself in hand and finish what the dream had started but he felt weird about doing something like that in a strange bed. In Magnus’ home. Urghh, it just made the whole thing ten times worse. 

He fell back against the pillows and tried to think of anything but the sight of Magnus Bane, hot and hard for him surrounded by softly glowing warm water. He moaned and squirmed under the tented sheet, that wasn’t helping. Even the soft brush of the material was making it worse. 

It took him another hour to finally calm down and go back to sleep, but it left him unsettled and now his balls were aching from being denied their orgasm.   
When his alarm had gone off at four thirty the next morning, it felt like he’d barely slept at all and the ache was still with him. He got up and showered, making sure the water was more cold than hot and then after dressing, went out to the kitchen. 

Magnus was already there, spooning yoghurt into his mouth from a bowl and oh dear god he had that damn tight black tank top and exercise pants on again. Great. The universe was determined to throw all forms of temptations in his path this morning, like the sexy dream he’d had last night wasn’t enough to remind him of his attraction to other men. No, correction, not men, just one. The handsome golden skinned one that was right in front of him now. 

He grabbed a croissant and a cup of coffee and gave Magnus and Raphael a nodded greeting. He tried not to read too much into the fact that Magnus didn’t seem to want to look him in the eye this morning, let alone talk to him at all. 

Things didn’t improve much on the ride over to the gym and during Magnus’ work out session. Alec was trying to look anywhere but at his client while secretly preying that he didn’t ask him to help him remove that tight top again. He had a horrible feeling something like that would be his undoing. 

His nerves were on edge as he followed Magnus into the change room and he checked everything out before giving him the go ahead to shower and change.   
“Alexander, is everything alright?” 

It was the first time since yesterday that he had said anything directly to him. 

“Yes, everything’s fine.” He said, trying to convince himself as well as Magnus. He felt himself tense when Magnus moved closer to him. 

“You don’t look fine. Is it something I said, or did?”

How could he tell him that it was because he spent way too much time thinking about what those lips of his would feel like against his, how much he wanted to experience the sensation of that firm warm body pressed against his? 

“I didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.” Well, it wasn’t a complete lie, he hadn’t. 

Magnus shifted closer still and Alec felt himself draw in his breath What the fuck was he up to, why was he doing this, today of all days. 

“Why was that, hmm? Was it because of yesterday when I touched you in the pool?” 

Alec swallowed and shifted his feet. His hands were clenched down by his sides and he wished that someone would come in and disturb them, forcing Magnus to stop whatever the hell this game he was playing with him was. It was like he had read his thoughts and knew how he secretly felt about him and was doing his best to make things fifty times harder.

Alec went back to his old stand by of flat out denial.

“What? No! Why would I be upset about that, it was nothing. We were just… you know…. It was nothing.” Alec said, the words coming out a tad faster than they should of. 

Magnus reached up and trailed a finger down the side of his face, setting a blazing trail on the skin.

“Then this shouldn’t worry you at all, should it?” He purred with a small smile. 

For the life of him, Alec couldn’t understand why he couldn’t move away at that point. He should of swatted his hand away and told him how inappropriate it was to touch him like that, but it was like the long buried side of him was the only one listening and it was completely devoid of reason. The true Alec just woken up and was now demanding to be heard. 

Alec found himself opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, gasping for air, as he willed his brain to act rationally. But, fuck, he was losing the battle, really fast. His heart was banging against his ribs so hard he was afraid it would bust through and latch itself onto Magnus where it really wanted to be.   
“It’s alright, Alexander, I like the feel of you too.” Magnus whispered, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear but they were completely alone, but it was as if the words had been shouted to Alec. A fresh wave of sparks shot through him, setting fire to his insides. Oh god, this was really happening. 

It was when that fingertip came around to trace around the edge of his lips that Alec knew he was done for. He fought to control his breathing, hoping not to hyperventilate and pass out. 

Maybe that would be such a bad thing, wait, what was he saying, then he might miss out on the kiss that he had been dreaming about since the first day he’d met him. Urgh! He was so tied up in knots right now, he didn’t know how to think clearly.

“These lips have been the subject of my dreams since I first saw them, you know that? So pretty, so pink, so kissable.” Magnus said softly, and he moved his hand up to the side of Alec’s face, cupping his cheek and holding his attention with his eyes, which Alec was sure he could see a hint of gold within them. Christ, how messed up was he?

Magnus started to lean in towards him and Alec froze, like a deer in the headlights, waiting for the impact of his lips on his, literally a dream come true. He could feel Magnus’ soft warm breath, smell his exotic scent mingled with the sweat from his work out and his entire face was on fire all from the touch of his hand.   
Magnus’ lips were millimetres from his now, so close he could feel their warmth and his world had stopped turning as he waited for their touch. 

Voices came from just the other side of the change room door and then the door itself began to open. Magnus pulled back and Alec almost fell forward, the sudden loss of the nearly kiss made his heart ache and made him want to scream in frustration. So near, yet so far. 

Two men had entered the room, too caught up in their conversation to notice a very awkward looking scene between Alec and Magnus. Alec blinked rapidly a few times, trying to bring himself back from the brink of whatever it had been that he had almost let himself get pulled into. 

“Alexander, wait it’s…” Magnus said, he reached out to him back Alec pulled away. A wary look covered his face, that bordered on disappointment. 

It was as if they had shared a break in reality and now with a snap or a finger, they were back in the real world, with all the usual rules and regulations.   
If Alec hadn’t been so freaked out, he would have seen the dejected look on Magnus’ face. 

“I’ll take a quick shower and be back out in a minute.” Magnus backed off and grabbed his things from the bench and went around the corner. 

Alec was still in a daze. Oh, my fucking god, he’d almost kissed him. And what’s more, he had been willing to let him. He felt his knees starting to go weak and he sat down hard on the bench, putting his head in his hands. 

That was totally crazy, how had he allowed himself to get that carried away. He looked towards the showers and watched as the steam wafted out the open door. The other two men where still talking and laughing, but he knew Magnus was in there with them. Naked. Wet. Wanting his touch. His kiss. 

Alec took in a breath as if the air had been sucked from his lungs. He had to stop this, this wasn’t helping, and it was totally out of the question. It had been those stupid dreams, the ones that got him hard and horny and, in all likelihood,, borne of the fact that he had been keeping his true self so buried. God, he was so far in the closest, he could see Narnia. 

He just had to remind himself that this was a job, Magnus was a client, just like any other and he had to stay professional and he hoped to god that whoever it was that was doing this would trip up and he’d catch them and put an end to his suffering. Because that’s what it had felt like for the past couple of days.


	6. Chapter 6

They pulled up at the backstage door and Alec was out of the car and looking around the area before Meliorn had a chance to open the doors.  The worst part of it was he kept noticing that Magnus kept sending him short pointed looks, as if he was trying to get him to look back, but Alec was determined not to get pulled into whatever it was that had almost seen them locking lips at the gym.

 

They wended their way through the backstage area, Alec was on high alert; this place was huge and there was a million places for someone to hide. They made it to the actual stage unscathed and Alec let himself breath a little.

Raphael was there as well, and before they began the rehearsal, he, Magnus and a few others, crowded around a table that had coffee and a variety of food on it. Magnus had clearly gone into showman mode, talking animatedly with the others and smiling broadly. Alec found himself feeling a little annoyed by the display. Had the way he’d acted with him at the gym been a false front as well? He hoped not, that would be just way too much to deal with.

Alec stood off to the side and watched as Magnus went through the motions of his performance, working out where the best places to stand were and the best angles for the audience to see each act.

Alec had been hoping that he might see him actually perform some of the magic just today seemed all about the logistics and the technical side of things. Lunch time with caterer bringing trays of sandwiches and other types of food. The table was swamped with people coming out from behind the scenes to eat and Alec managed to grab a couple of sandwiches before they disappeared.

After lunch it was more of the same, which gave Alec way too much free time to think. His thoughts didn’t want to let go of their moment earlier. He didn’t really want to too much about how he had missed out on something he had been waiting nearly his whole life for, even if it had been with someone he had no right wanting that way.

Now it had made things difficult between them. At least before the almost kiss, they’d been on speaking terms. Now he wondered what it was going to be like once they found themselves alone again. Awkward as hell, that’s what.

The afternoon wore on and finally at around five, he heard Magnus call it a day. People scattered from the stage and Alec went over to where he was standing. He still had a job to do, even if it wasn’t going to be easy. Magnus was talking to Raphael and he had just told him he would meet him back at the penthouse when Alec reached his side. They were alone on the stage now and was making Alec feel edgy again.

The bright lights were being shut off one by one and they were in almost complete darkness. Never a good thing when you were trying to protect someone.  Alec was about to tell Magnus that they should go when he turned to him. A faint light coming from backstage somewhere gave enough light that he could see his face, and it was back to looking worried.

“Alexander, I hope that you….” Magnus started but a noise from high up above them had he and Alec looking up into the lighting gantry.  Alec’s eyes went wide as he saw one of the large spotlights swaying strangely over their heads. It gave a metallic creak and Alec saw the dark shape begin to fall.

“LOOK OUT!” He yelled to Magnus and he lunged forward, grabbing him by the shoulders and shoving him out of the way. As he stumbled backwards, Magnus’ booted foot caught on something, he gave a startled yell, and began to fall.  Alec tightened his grip and pulled him hard against him, twisting sideways so that he would take the impact of their combined plummet to the hard wooden stage floor.

There was a loud crash, the sound of crashing metal and shattered glass as the spotlight hit the stage right where they had been standing not a minute before. At the same time, Alec, with Magnus in his arms, made hard contact with the wooden surface and let out a grunt of pain as he felt the impact jar right up his back.  He’d put a protective hand over the side of Magnus’ face, the split second before the glass lens of the light exploded and it had stopped him from being cut by the flying shards.

For a few minutes, the place was deafeningly quiet after the noise the falling light had made. Alec’s heart was hammering in his chest and his chest was working up and down, trying to get air into his lungs with Magnus’ weight pressing down on him.

He struggled to try to see him in the dim light.

“Fuck, are you alright? Are you bleeding anywhere? Is anything hurting?” He said frantically, now deeply concerned for him. He ran a hand over the side of Magnus’ face and was relieved not to be able to detect any dampness that might mean blood.

“I’m okay, Alexander, you….” He started but Alec had dragged them up to a sitting position and was checking his arms and his body.

“Are you sure nothing’s hurt, you don’t feel any pain anywhere?”  he gushed, and he tried to see as much of him as he could. He was terrified that he’d been cut by the glass of a piece of the flying metal.

Magnus suddenly reached out and took his face in his hands and held him still.

“I’m fine, Alexander, thanks to you, I’m fine. You saved me. Again.” He said, his voice quiet but full of emotion. Before Alec could say or do anything else Magnus had leaned forward and brushed his soft lips against his. Lights went off behind Alec’s eyes and a thrill shot down his spine. He was still trying to calm down from their fall and now this was almost sending his brain into overload.

‘Magnus, no, I can’t, we shouldn’t…” he began to say, but even to his own ears, it sounded weak.

“Here’s what I think of can’t and shouldn’t.” Magnus said and then plunged back down to his mouth once more.

This time, the kiss had more of an impact than what had just happened, and Alec groaned as he felt himself going limp and mindless with each second that passed. It mightn’t have happened exactly the way he had dreamed it, but his first ever kiss had filled him with a warmth that he could feel right down to his toes.

He’s once worried that if he ever got the chance to kiss another man, that he would fumble it and make it awkward from his lack of experience, but he was so glad that it wasn’t the case. Somehow, his mouth knew exactly what to do and his lips moved with Magnus’ in a slow, heated dance.

The sound of voices and yelling came to them from what sounded like a great distance and they drew apart, still locked in each other’s stare, not wanting the moment to end.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long now.” Magnus whispered and rubbed his thumb along Alec’s cheekbone. Alec felt his face heating as he gave him a shy smile just before they were surrounded by people.

For the next half an hour, at least, Magnus and Alec were pulled in different directions. Everyone was talking at once about what had just happened and they had to content themselves with small looks and soft smiles. No one noticed because they were all too excited about the falling light.

Alec got one of the stage hands to take him up to the lighting gantry and he examined the empty spot where the light had been. He looked at the brackets that had held it in place, with the light of his small flashlight, and noticed scratch marks on the metal. The rest of the power cord was still hanging loose, and he pick it up. The cut was way too clean for it of been an accident. It had definitely been cut.

He went back down, and Magnus went over to him with a worried look.

“Someone wanted this light to fall. The cord was cut through and through brackets were tampered with.” He told him, and he hated the frightened look that masked his face that only a moment ago was glowing with a soft happiness.

“God, whoever it is really out to get me, aren’t they?”  Magnus hugged his arms around his waist and Alec had the urge to take him into his arms and hold him, assuring him he was safe, but that was wrong, on both counts. He wasn’t as safe as he should be, and he shouldn’t be entertaining thoughts like that. Even if he had just enjoyed the best first kiss he’d ever had. The only first kiss.

He opened his mouth to say something but was afraid of something coming out that wouldn’t sound proper under the circumstances. He walked away from him, after trying to give him a reassuring look, letting the other people around him take over, so he could call the police and log it in. There needed to be well documented records of everything that happened, especially if things were escalating.

It was another hour before the police had come and gone, but once again, there were no sign of fingerprints, they had used gloves once again. Everyone else had gone and left only Magnus sitting forlornly on the side of the stage and Alec.

He walked over to him as the police left and sat down beside him.  He looked at his face, and it hurt his insides.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked. He’d reached out and ran the back of his fingers down the side of his cheek before he had even thought about it. This wasn’t about the job anymore, it was about comforting someone that was in pain. Someone that he was beginning to have strong feelings for.

Magnus turned his head and looked at him, reaching up to take his hand in his. He gave him a weak smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes that still look full of sadness.

“I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t been there today, Alexander. I’m so glad that Raphael talked me into getting a body guard, and especially sending me you.” He said softly. His words warmed Alec’s insides, but he still felt a twinge of guilt over crossing the line with a client.

“Any one from the agency would have done the same thing. I just hope I can find out who it is soon.”

Before he could react, Magnus had leaned in and brushed his lips to his, sending delicious thrills tearing through him.  In spite of knowing full well that what he was doing was extremely wrong, Alec found himself leaning into the kiss, his body and his heart’s desire over riding any logic his brain was trying to make him listen to.

Oh god how he wanted to taste those lips again after their first kiss. Magnus Bane was totally addicting. His own private brand of illegal drug and he had never wanted to be so consumed by something before in his life.

He felt a hand go to the back of his and then he heard a muffled gasp and Magnus pulled back. He immediately felt his loss and wanted to whine like a spoilt child until he had him back again.

“Alexander! Your bleeding!”

Even the urgent sound of Magnus’ words took a few long seconds to register in his foggy mind and he frowned, sitting back and looking at the backs of his hands. Sure enough, several cuts criss crossed his skin, thin lines of red standing out lividly on the white. It must have been the glass that had done it, it was only one hand, and Alec remembered vaguely covering Magnus’ unprotected face with it. The funny thing was, he didn’t feel anything.

Magnus stood up and held out a hand to take his uninjured one.

“We have to get them seen to. You might have glass in them. God, Alec, didn’t you know?” Magnus looked at him with a mixture of worry and shock.

“No, I was more concerned about you and how you were feeling than me. I’m fine. This is nothing.” He tried to reassure him, but Magnus had gone into full on Florence Nightingale mode and wouldn’t be swayed.

“At least let’s get back to the penthouse so I can dress them and make sure you’re not bleeding anywhere else.” He said, and he began to pull him towards the door.

 

Magnus fussed over him all the way back home and Alec felt both warmed by it and a little annoyed that he was making such a fuss over a few scratches. But at least it had stopped him looking so pale and sad.

The minute they got back inside, Raphael rushed him to asked about what had happened, but Magnus’ focus was on getting Alec’s injuries cleaned up.

“Magnus, stop, I’m sure Alec can see to himself, I need t hear about what happened.” Raphael frowned, following Magnus and Alec down the hall and into the bathroom.

“It can wait, Alec’s hand needs attention.” He insisted.

“Magnus, really, it’s fine. Go talk to Raphael, I can do this.” Alec tried to tell him.

“NO! NO!” Magnus thundered, and the sudden outburst had Alec and Raphael stilling, looking first at Magnus then each other. Alec gave a very small shake of his head. He’d seen this reaction in other people before that had gone through something life threatening. It was a coping mechanism.

Alec preyed that Magnus’ best friend had enough sense to see it and back off.  Raphael sighed and held up his hands.

“Okay, okay, it can wait. I’ll be out here when you’re done.” he told Magnus and turned and left the bathroom.

Magnus led Alec over to the sink and then dug out a medical kit from the cupboard underneath. He ran water into the basin and took one of the pristine white wash cloths that sat beside it and held it under the running water.

“Magnus, don’t ruin your towel just for…” he said before he thought and Magnus’ sharp look stopped him from going any further. He could feel his hands shaking as he gently wiped the shallow cuts on his hand, turning areas of the cloth pink with his dried blood.

Magnus touched him with as much care as he would of something far more delicate than just his hand. He let him pat his hand dry with another small towel before he took a tube of antiseptic cream out of the kit and after opening it, he smeared some over each of the cuts. Now Alec was feeling them, but it was nothing to the concern he was feeling for Magnus.

Magnus found a dressing and placed it gently over his hand, before using tape to secure it. He held it lightly in his own hands, looking down at it like he was assessing his nursing skills. The sad/worried face had returned, and Alec was extremely tempted to bundle him into his arms and hold him to his chest, but he held back. There was still enough common sense in him to stop him from really going off the grid.

“Thank you. That feels a lot better.” Alec told him and Magnus gave him a soft smile. Why don’t we go and get something to eat. You must be hungry, yeah”

Magnus’ eyes darted back and forth, like they were searching for the right answer. Never a good sign.

“Okay.” Was all he said, and Alec put his uninjured hand gently onto Magnus’ arm and steered him towards the door.

Dinner was a quiet affair and was spent mainly of Alec and Raphael keeping watchful eyes on Magnus as he pushed food around his plate. Alec noticed that Magnus had made it a point to sit beside him at the table tonight; normally, he sat beside Raphael but tonight was different on so many levels, nothing was as it should be.

After they ate, and after Magnus had taken no more than a couple of mouthfuls, Raphael wanted to help Magnus get to bed but suddenly he snapped out of the unnatural silence to turn on his friend.

“I don’t need your help, Raphael, I’m a grown man. I’m perfectly capable of getting myself to bed.” He barked at him. Raphael was clearly shaken with his outburst. Traumatized Magnus was a new experience for him by the look of it.

“Magnus, you’re upset, you need…” He began but Magnus gave him a dismissive shake of his head.

“I told you, I’m fine, Raphael, stop treating me like some sort of invalid. I don’t need it. I don’t need you, I’m fine.”  He repeated his voice rising, and thankfully, Raphael had enough sense to stop.

“Do you want me to stay? I can sleep on the sofa…” he started but he was met with a strong dismissal again.

“No, don’t be silly. Go home. Alexander is here, every window and door is alarmed, and I pay a premium for security in this place. I don’t need anything, just sleep. Go.” He said again, and he turned and started for the hall.

 

Alec and Raphael watched him go with worried glances and heard him open and close the door with a hard bang. Raphael sighed and shook his head.

“I’m worried about him, Alec, I’ve never seen him unhinged like this before. This has affected him far more than I thought it would. I really want to stay, but I don’t want to upset him any further if he wakes up and sees me out here, can you please keep an eye on him? If anything happens, call me, you have my number.” He said.

‘Of course. Everyone reacts differently to something traumatic, Raphael, this mightn’t look it but it’s normal. He needs rest and quiet support. He should be fine in a day or two.” Alec said.

Raphael didn’t look convinced but nodded his head anyway and said good bye and with a final look in the direction of Magnus’ room, he left.

 

It was still fairly early when Alec did his nightly security check. This time, he paid twice the attention to everything and then after satisfying himself that all was secure, he quietly went up the hall and leaned his ear on Magnus’ door. He thought about knocking, even softly, but if he was asleep he didn’t want to wake him, and if he wasn’t, he didn’t want to disturb him and run the risk of him getting any more wound up.

As quietly as he could, he turned the handle and peeked inside. The room was in darkness and from the light of the hall, he could just make out a still form under the covers in the bed. He pulled back and shut the door, giving a relieved sigh once it was closed. Thank god, he was asleep. There was nothing like an attempt on your life to give you a wake-up call and remind you that in spite of thinking otherwise, you were only human and not bullet proof.

Alec gave the balcony doors a final test to make sure they were locked and alarmed and a flash of light lit the night sky. A faint rumble of thunder sounded, and Alec looked at the sky and saw the stars were being slowly swallowed up by a storm front. Great, he thought, a turbulent night to end a turbulent day.

He turned all the lights off, and the low lights in the hall came on automatically. He went to his room and shut the door but then though better of it and opened it just a crack. Just in case, he thought to himself.

He should of showered but he suddenly felt the strain and stress of the roller coaster ride that had been today catching up with him and he just shed his clothes leaving only his boxers on and climbed into bed.

He lay in the dark, listen to the approaching storm. So much was going on in his head right now, it was hard to know where to start, but he chose to bring his first ever kiss to the fore front. He wanted to think of it as a good thing, usually first kisses are a much-welcomed life event, but they shine of it was tarnished by the fact that he had kissed his client. His very well-known client and somehow, he’d let himself get carried away with his feelings.

It shocked him to realise how easy it would be for him to give in and feel what he wanted to about Magnus. He’d only kissed him twice, but already he could feel himself wanting even more. It wasn’t fair, why couldn’t this have happened to him outside of work hours?

His smart ass, know it all self-conscious piped up and reminded him that it would help to even have a ‘outside of work hours’ life, exaggerated air quotes used here, and the odds of him actually meeting Magnus Bane in person in that setting were about fifty million to one.

Alec tried not to think of how much of a miracle that they had ended up working together really was. It was hard to picture having a first kiss with anyone one else. Anyone more perfect, even if it was under extenuating circumstances. It just made it even more special and more of an everlasting memory.

But that’s what it should remain, a perfect memory. It couldn’t happen again.

The sobering thought twisted his gut and made a dull ache in his heart. Maybe after this job was over they could……. nah, probably not. He had no idea what Magnus’ thinking was about this. For all he knew Alec Lightwood could be just another name in a long list. A good time, a distraction from the pressures of being a mega star. Nothing permanent, that’s for sure.

Alec sighed and rolled over to face the window. He’d left the curtain open and he watched as the first spots of rain began to dot the glass. The weather reflected what he felt deep inside. Was the universe trying to tell him something? He didn’t want to think about it.  He closed his eyes and hoped for sleep.

Something had woken him. He stirred under the covers and opened his eyes. A bright flash lit up the room in negative light and he sat up. Thunder rumbled all around the penthouse and he remembered the storm. He looked at the window and watched the rain washing down it. That’s what had woken him, nothing else. Another loud crack sounded, and it lit up the room once again.

He hauled himself out of bed to go and pull the curtains shut. He had enough on his mind to keep him awake, let alone the bright lightning. He was just about to get back in when he heard a faint noise.

At first, he thought it had something to do with the storm’ maybe something on the balcony had shifted in the wind, it was pretty wild looking out there. He froze in place, listening.

Silence.

He thought about going out and checking everything, but he was weary from the day before and his eyes were growing heavy. He didn’t think even Magnus’ tormentor would come out in weather like this.

He grabbed hold of the sheet and went to attempt to get in again when the sound came again, this time louder. Alec’s heart seized in his chest; Fuck, Magnus, it was coming from down the hall.

He took off running, reefing the door open hard enough that it banged hard on the wall behind it.

A loud clap of thunder growled around them again and this time the terrified cry was more than clear. Dear god, he hoped he was alright.

Alec flung the door open and heard Magnus wail again staring pasty faced and anxious right at him. He was sitting up in his bed, the sheets a mess of shiny satin around him, clearly he had been thrashing around in his sleep before now.

Alec rushed to the side of the bed, and turned on the lamp, Magnus blinked and threw up his hands.

“Magnus! It’s me. Alec. What’s wrong? Are you alright?” He said, reaching out to him. Magnus flinched away with a yelp. Obviously, he was far from alright.

Alec heart was pounding. He hated seeing anyone this distressed but seeing Magnus like it was ten times worse.

“Shh, hey, hey, Magnus, it’s me, Alec.” He soothed, and Magnus put his arms down and looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time. His face was a lather of sweat and his eyes looked huge and full of sorrow.

Alec saw his bottom lip and his chin begin to quiver and his heart broke open. Magnus reached out for him and he slide closer, gathering him in to his arms and holding him tight. He felt his whole body sigh as if to say, yes, finally. He pressed Magnus’ sweat soaked body to his, his cheek pressed against his shoulder and face buried into his neck as his shoulders shook with hard racking sobs.

He brought one hand up and carded his finger through his damp hair and closed his eyes, breathing gentle calming sounds into his ear. His pain was killing him, and he wished to god that he could somehow absorb it from Magnus’ body to into his, to save him from it.

He just held him tight, feeling his clammy heat along with his tears, roll down his chest and back. As if it were second nature, Alec began to gently rock him, sifting his fingers softly through his hair where it was longest. He put soft kisses on the tender skin right before his ear and hoped like hell he would calm down soon. He wanted to cry right along with him, his tears borne of the agony of seeing someone he was beginning to feel strongly about so sad.

He didn’t know how long they sat like that together. All the while, the storm raged on outside, and about the same time as he first detected Magnus sobs quieting, the tempest outside began to ease as well.

Magnus slowly raised his face from his shoulder, hitching sobs still making his shoulders jerk. He looked up into Alec’s face and he felt his eyes sting. Fuck, the poor guy looked like a lost puppy. He reached out with shaking hands and put them on either side of Alec’s face, not knowing how much it was affecting him to see him this way, so lost so frightened and so vulnerable.

“Al-Alec- Alexander, I need you.” He croaked, his voice broken with the last of his sobs.

Alec felt something rip open inside him and all he cared about was making this beautiful man feel happy and safe again. Fuck the rules, fuck that he was a client, and fuck the piece of shit that had caused all this in the first place. The guy was going to get the stuffing beat out of him for doing this.

“I’m here, Magnus. I’m here for you.” He told him softly and put his hands up to cover his.

Magnus pulled him into him and pressed his lips to his in a kiss so tender it made his sole ache. He wanted to kiss him back, hard, convey to him how he felt, to show him his brand-new feelings for him but he let Magnus dictate the course of it.

He moved his lips gently against his, hoping they would calm him further. Magnus pulled back and he felt his body warm right through at the soft little sound of their departing lips and it took everything he had not to just grab Magnus and pull him back for more.

Magnus gave him a weak watery smile, but it lit him up. “I take it this means you’re into guys?” He said, and Alec’s face split into a huge grin. Humour, he was using humour, this was good.

He beamed back at him and couldn’t resist a finally brief kiss. He closed his eyes and let the wave of happiness wash over him like sunshine.

“Yes, Magnus, but not guys, plural, guy, singular. Just you, handsome, just you.”

The beginnings of a brightness very weak, momentarily showed on his face like a tiny flame, struggling to catch.

“Yeah, right. I must look really handsome at the moment.” He said, even giving one of his signature eye rolls before looking down.

“Hey,’ Alec said softly, lifting his face back up to his with a finger under his chin. “you are the most beautiful guy I’ve ever seen, both inside and out. Even with black lines running down your face and a runny nose.”

“Oh.” Magnus said, blushing sweetly and letting his smile grow a little stronger. That struggling flame within him burned a little brighter. He looked over at a box of tissues near the bed, and Alec reached over and got them for him.  He wiped at his damp cheeks, trying to rid them of the streaks of black eye liner and the remains of his tears.

He held out the smudged tissue. “Eye liner. Next time I get hysterical, I’ll make sure I’m wearing the waterproof one.” And this time, the humour actually had a small chuckle to accompany it. Alec had never felt so happy about anything.

“I know there must be things we should probably say to each other but all I want right now is to feel you close to me.” Magnus said, and he looked hopefully up to him.

“That’s all I want as well.” Alec smiled and he climbed up on the bed and Magnus pulled back the covers for him and he slid underneath, Magnus nestled into his body, fitting in so perfectly against him that it was as if they had been made for each other.

Alec wanted to die from the way it was making him feel. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it was a dream, a perfect, wonderful dream, in a place where they could be allowed to be together without rules or restrictions.

Magnus head rested against the front of Alec’s shoulder and his body was mouldered to his side. One leg was thrown over his and even the soft scratchy feel of the hair on their legs sent waves of delight running through Alec.

He bent down so he could brush soft small kisses to his cool forehead, his hand gently trailed up and down over the swell of his bicep. The reason they were lying together like this might suck but Alec doubted if it could feel much better than it did. Urgh, the comforting warmth of another body against yours, the heavenly feel of their weight, and the warming breeze of their breath on bare skin was everything.

They lay together like that, just silently rejoicing in the precious moment.  Alec could have stayed like this forever.

“So, I guess you kinda like me, huh?” Magnus said from where he lay on his chest.

It was such a totally bizarre thing to say right at that time, and it made him sound about twelve years old. Alec couldn’t help the first hiccupping bubbles of laughter as he let the pent up happy sound burst out of him, and Magnus began to join him.

It was so cathartic to do that after such an intense time, it felt so good. Magnus raised up and looked down at him, the remains of the laughter showing in his eyes. Alec put his hand up to his face, smiling back.

“There you are, there’s the gorgeous guy I couldn’t take my eyes off.” He said, and Magnus leaned forward, and they kissed deeply.  When they parted, Magnus raised his brows.

“So, I didn’t get an answer.” He said, looking at him expectantly. Alec chuckled and shook his head against the pillow.

“Yes, god help me, yes, I like you. A lot, in fact. Probably more than I should.” He confessed.

Magnus put the tip of his finger on his warm lips. “Ah, ah, ah, don’t ruin everything by saying sensible stuff. We’ll worry about that tomorrow, or even the next day. I don’t know when, but not now.” He said and put his mouth on his once more.

He settled back down again, and Alec leaned his cheek on the top of his head. This, whatever this was, might be against the rules and he was so far off the reservation now, it wasn’t funny, but fuck, it felt so right. It was as if his heart had been calling out for this type of contact for years and finally it had been answered.

As the final drops of rain stopped, and the dark angry clouds outside gave way to the stars once more, he closed his eyes and held Magnus close, and prayed for sunshine tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

At first, when Alec woke, he wondered what the foreign sensation was he was feeling, not to mention the heaviness he felt along his body. He blinked opened his eyes and looked straight into two soft deep brown ones. The smile just automatically curved his lips. 

Magnus was laying right along him, kissing the top of his chest and the base of his neck. 

“Good morning, gorgeous.” He purred, and Alec stretched beneath him and then wrapped his arms around him. 

God, he felt so good; warm, strong and smooth. 

The morning light that was seeping in around the edges of the curtains was enough to let him appreciate the beautiful warm golden hue of his skin. That and along with his toned muscles made Magnus Bane a work of art. 

Magnus sat up, straddling his waist, his eyes soft with something unspoken, roaming over him. He trailed his fingers and hands over the plains of Alec’s shadowed jaw, down the slope of his neck and along each shoulder as if he were mapping the landscape of his body. 

“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to get my hands on you like this. I wasn’t even sure that you were into guys, I just thought you were beautiful.” He said, his voice taking on a velvety tone that made Alec’s heart pound. 

He just laid there, enjoying the feel of him sitting astride his body, and the warm sweep of his hands on his skin. 

Magnus face, still a little paler than normal but much more relax looking now, less haunted by yesterday’s troubles, took on a mischievous look. He sifted his fingers through the dark cloud of soft hair that covered Alec’s chest, his soft playful smile turning into something more heated.

“Fuck, if you don’t feel so good. I love this, love the feel of it on my chest. It’s so primal, urghh.” And he gave a shudder before flattening himself out onto his chest and taking his mouth hard and wide. 

The kiss sparked a flame inside Alec and filled him with a warmth that threatened to melt his insides. He had never kissed him like this before; until then, all their kisses had been soft, sweet, gentle. This one had a purpose, a darker feel. His hands fanned out over the of his back and he groaned softly, the sound getting lost in the kiss. 

“God I want you so much. It’s all I’ve thought about since you walked in my door.” Magnus murmured against his lips, pulling back just enough to be able to form the words. Alec felt his pulse begin to quicken. Something akin to panic mixed with excitement roared through him. He would have been lying to himself if he had of denied it to himself that he hadn’t thought about having sex with Magnus and how good it would be but now that it was a real possibility, his inexperience started to get the better of him. 

A liquid heat began to pool in his lower belly, and he felt his cock begin to thicken. Oh god, this was truly happening. Should he say something about it being his first time? Would it change his mind about it? Even though he was really nervous, he really wanted it to happen at the same time. 

So did Magnus from the way he was deepening the kiss and Alec took in a breath when he got the first hint of a warm tongue. Fire shot through him and thought he would die from it. He wasn’t quite bra e enough yet to try it himself, but he was loving the way Magnus did it. 

Little by little he tasted more and more of his tongue on his and by the time Magnus had filled his mouth with it, he was moaning softly. His hips tilted up on their own and this time it was Magnus’ turn to react and he made a deep noise in the back of his throat. His hands gently fisted in Alec’s hair and it was as if each and every one of them were connected to his crotch. 

Alec’s mind had begun to fog over as his hands roamed over the curved of his back, up to his shoulders and then down to just before the waist band of his boxers. He opened his mouth wider, wanting more, so much more.

There was a soft knock at the door.

At first, they both ignored it, so lost in each other they had gone deaf to everything else around them. But then it came again, this time louder an accompanied by Raphael’s voice.

“Magnus? Are you awake? “ 

Magnus pulled back, heavy lidded eyes slowly opening to reveal fully blown pupils and sending fireworks firing through Alec as he lay still beneath him feeling like he had just been denied his last breath.

“I have to answer him or he’d going to come in here.” Magnus whispered to him. Alec nodded not trusting his voice.

“I’m alright, Raphael. I’ll be out in a minute.” He called out to the closed door.

“Are you sure, you sound strange.” 

Magnus rolled his eyes and Alec went bright pink. Horny, he sounded horny. Damn you Raphael.

“I told you, I’m fine give me five minutes.” Magnus told him and then thankfully, there was silence.

“Urgh!” Magnus groaned and then laid back down on Alec’s chest, kissing the side of his pec. 

“The man is the human equivalent of a bucket of cold water. I’m not sure where this was heading, but I was loving the journey.” He said, lifting his head and kissing him briefly.

“Yeah, me too. You better get up. We don’t want him coming in here.” Alec replied. 

Magnus gave him an exaggerated hurt look. “You trying to get rid of me?” 

Alec smiled up at him and put his hands on his thighs. “No, I could stay here all day with you like this but we both know that can’t happen.” 

Magnus gave a huff.

“Oh, so you’re back. Sensible Alec. I hadn’t missed you at all, you know.” 

Alec couldn’t help the small chuckle escaping from him. God, he looked so hot and so adorable sitting her like this with that look on his face.

“Come on, now. We can’t get carried away. You have a performance to get ready for and I have a job to do.” Magnus grew serious, looking at him with wary eyes.  
“Is that all I am to you, a job?” 

That was the big question, wasn’t it? 

Technically, yes, he was the job, a client, all be it a hot sexy client, but something had shifted inside him now. Alec might not know what would come of all this and how things would play out, but he was certain of one thing; he could retreat back into the closest he’d been buried in for so long. 

Magnus had effectually knocked down the doors and completely destroyed what was left of it. It was a strange feeling, being out in the world as his true self for the first time ever. Strange and a little terrifying at the same time.

“Not anymore. I’m breaking so many rules it’s ridiculous, but god help me, I don’t think I’m going to be able to go back to the way things were.” He said.  
Deciding actions spoke louder than words, Magnus leaned down and kissed him soundly again.

“Good, but I’m just warning you, I’m a hard habit to break, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, so I suggest you stay addicted. Besides, now I’ve finally broke down that brick wall you’ve been hiding behind, I don’t want to waste all my hard work. You weren’t easy.” Magnus said, his mouth pulled up to one side, eyes twinkling.

It was nice to see this side of him back, but Alec could still detect the other side of him too, the one that had almost broke his heart to see last night, creeping around the edges. 

“Keep bringing up the fact that my middle name is Gideon, and this will be over before it even gets started.” He said, in mock sternness. He smiled when he saw his words light up his face again. 

Magnus reluctantly got off him, after a finally long, heated kiss that left him feeling boneless, and headed for his bathroom. It was only then that Alec remembered that he was wearing only his boxers. He could hear movement out in the kitchen and knew that walking up the hallway in only his underwear wasn’t a good idea. 

He waited for Magnus to reappear from his shower, resisting the thought to go in and join him. He came out, surprised that he was still there. He went over to him and took in into his arms.

“Not ready to leave me yet? I have to say, I feel the same way.” He purred, brushing his lips to his again. 

“I wish that was the only reason I stayed here. How am I supposed to get to my room? I don’t think now is the right time to alert Raphael and Margaret and whoever else is out there, that you spent the night with your body guard.” Alec said, loving Magnus’ fresh, warm just showered scent.

“We could tell them the truth, that I had a restless night and needed company?” He said hopefully.

“You honestly think they would buy that as an excuse for me being almost naked?”

Magnus quirked one corner of his mouth up and his eyes twinkled.

“Almost naked is not naked enough, Alexander. One day very soon, I hope, I’ll get to see the rest of you that you are hiding under those boxers and from the preview I got in the change room the other day, the main event is going to be a show stopper.” He leaned in and kissed him, long and slow, sending fire coursing through Alec’s body. 

He could feel himself getting lost in the moment again and he had to have a clear head when became Magnus’ body guard again. 

“Hey, stop, it’s bad enough that I have to sneak back to my room somehow, but if you keep kissing me like that, you’re going to make it twice as hard.” Alec realised what he had said the second the words left his lips. So did Magnus. 

He stood pressed against him a wide grin brightening his face. He gently thrust against him and gave a soft moan of pleasure when he felt the firm bulge just a thin piece of material away from him. 

“I think it’s already twice as hard, handsome.” He whispered, his hands moving over the small of his back and then starting to go just underneath the waist band of his boxers. Alec gave a small nervous chuckle and pulled back.

“Not helping. How about thinking about how I’m going to get out of here instead. Raphael is going to come barrelling in here at any minute to see what you’re doing.” 

“I’ll go out and distract them somehow, and then you can get to your room. Okay?” He gave him a quick kiss before heading for the door.

Alec nodded and watched as Magnus opened the door, stuck his head out then pulled it back in, gave him an exaggerated wink, straightened his shoulders, and then went out.

Alec smiled to himself and shook his head. No, that wasn’t suspicious at all. The guy was such a ham. And so fucking adorable he could hardly stand it.   
He went over to the door, standing behind it where Magnus had left it open a little. He stood there, listening for any cue that might tell him when he could make a break for it to his room. Why didn’t Magnus have a guest room that was further along the hall way? When they were designing penthouses, obviously the architects didn’t allow for the gay body guard that falls for the handsome client and needs to sneak back to his room in his underwear factor. 

Alec could feel the guilt simmering inside him. He felt like he was about to do the walk of shame but really, apart from staying with Magnus for most of the night and sharing quite a few heated kisses, they hadn’t done anything else. But it was enough. Enough to know that he had crossed the line big time. 

Magnus was talking animatedly to Raphael who was asking him how he had spent the night. Alec inwardly groaned. The guy was being a little too perky for someone who had gone through what he had the day before. If he didn’t watch himself, Raphael was going to get suspicious.

He heard Magnus suggest that they take their coffee out to the balcony and when he heard the heavy glass door slide open, he took it as his cue to make a break for it. 

He padded quickly and quietly up the hall and had reached his door, putting a handle on the knob to open it when he saw Margret out of the corner of his eye. 

Oh fuck! 

He turned to look at her sheepishly and was more than a little surprised to see her smiling at him with a knowing look. She might be bomb proof, but she wasn’t blind. Alec felt his face heating and she went back to her work. He entered his room and shut the door. He leaned against it and sighed. 

From now on in, he was flying completely blind with all this. He felt scared but excited at the same time. He’d always played by the rules, done the right thing, in all aspects of his life and now after meeting one client, a client he hadn’t wanted in the first place, his life had been changed immensely. 

There was still that part of him that kept telling him it wasn’t too late, that he could stop things going any further with Magnus; they still hadn’t had sex yet. But god help him, he really wanted to. 

Alec got some clean clothes out of his drawers and then slipped back down to the opulent bathroom. He could just make out Raphael and Magnus through the curtain, still on the balcony.

He had just turned on the water and taken off his boxers when he paused, he smelt his arm, the one that Magnus had spent the night with his head and body on. A warmth flooded through him when he took in the faint scent of him still on his skin, a smile curved his lips. Christ, he wanted to stand here all day, and just take in that scent. 

It was right then that he knew that for him, at least, he had reached the point of no return where Magnus was concerned. There was definitely no going back now, only forward into an unknown future. Good bye, Narnia, it was nice knowing you. 

 

The rest of the day was crazy. It started with the car ride to the gym. Raphael had wanted him to miss his usual morning session with Sergei, but Magnus wouldn’t hear of it. 

While he was getting ready, Raphael had cornered Alec in the kitchen. He had been dreading anything like this, and now was going to be his first big test to see if he could actually act like there was nothing going on. 

“I know he won’t tell me, but was he alright last night?” Raphael asked him, his voice lowered, even though Magnus was down in his bedroom. 

Alec had been nibbling on a muffin, more for appearances sake then hunger. His stomach was filled with nervous excitement and a guilty queasiness. Getting grilled by the best friend wasn’t helping.

“Yeah, everything was fine.” He said, hoping he sounded normal.

“If he’s asked you to cover for him, I understand. I saw the dark circles under his eyes this morning, I know when he’s had a hard night. You can let me know, I won’t tell him you told me. I’ve been worried about him. He was a wreck yesterday and now he’s all chipper and happy? It can’t be good.” 

Hard night? Ha, was he serious? Yes he was, deadly serious. Alec took a mouthful of coffee and the expensive blend suddenly tasted like mud. 

“No, it was fine. Really.” Alec inwardly cringed. Two fines, why had he repeated himself? He needed to get a grip, or he was going to fail right off the mark.   
Raphael didn’t question him again and nodded but he didn’t look entirely convinced either. 

Magnus reappeared and paused as he entered the room. His eyes darted from one to the other. 

“Okay, my spidey senses are telling me you two are up to something. What’s going on?” He folded his arms over his chest, making his biceps flex and Alec’s mouth began to water. Jesus, he was hot standing there like that. 

“Nothing. Everything’s fine.” 

Another fine. Urgh!

Ouch. 

Alec looked over towards the RA and tried to ignore the look he was getting. 

“And the Oscar goes to…, Raphael if you’ve been trying to get information out of Alexander, I’ll…”

“No, he wasn’t. We should get going. You have to be at the arena early this morning.” Alec said, trying to deflect the conversation. 

Now Magnus was giving him the hairy eyeball. Great. Now he had a cranky client to deal with. That wasn’t entirely accurate. Should he of thought boyfriend instead? No, way too early for that. Fuck, his head was all over the place this morning, no wonder Raphael hadn’t believed him. 

Things didn’t improve on the way to the gym either. After checking the car thoroughly, Magnus got in the backseat and Alec joined him as usual. That’s where the similarities ended. 

“Meliorn, can we have the privacy screen up please?” Magnus asked even before they had gotten out of the parking lot.

The dark tinted screen slid up and the second it had separated them from the front seat, and Meliorn’s eyes, Magnus scrambled into Alec’s lap and crashed his mouth down on his. Alec gave a muffled noise of surprise.

Hands carded through Alec’s hair and Magnus pressed his chest hard into him. He could feel him breathing and the faint thud of his heartbeat. He groaned. Even that was a turn on. 

“Magnus, wait, we shouldn’t…..” he went to pull back but Magnus muffled his objections with his mouth and Alec could feel his resistance waning. 

“Now where’s the fun in that, hmm?” Magnus said softly, kissing down the side of his jaw and across to his ear. 

Alec swallowed. His eyes were closing, and his head was tilting back so that he could give him better access. He struggled where he was pinning him into the car seat.

“Magnus! God, we can’t do this now!” Alec hissed looking towards the petition. Meliorn might not be able to see them but he might be able to hear them. Not to mention wonder why Magnus had wanted the screen up in the first place.

Magnus turned to look at the screen and then came back, smiling. 

“In case you haven’t noticed, it is heavily tinted. Just as good as a solid wall. And practically soundproof, so you can let me hear those sweet moans of yours just don’t get too crazy and we’ll be fine.” He went to make a dive for his lips once more but Alec put his hands on his chest, halting him.

“This is wrong, we just do this here. We shouldn’t be doing this full stop.” Alec reminded him.

Magnus’ face dropped, and he stuck out his bottom lip. Alec tried not to think about how adorable he looked like this.

“Please don’t tell me you have buyer’s remorse over last night. If you’re wondering whether you were just a port in a storm, you weren’t. Alexander, I’ve wanted to kiss you since I first saw you, I told you that and I meant it.”

Now Alec felt bad. The last thing he wanted was for him to think that he wasn’t interested in him passed last night. But they needed ground rules, or this was going to get out of control really quick.

He put his hands up to his waist and smiled.

Magnus’ face brightened. “There he is, you’re back. The guy I spent the night with. I need to see him more often.” He bent down, and this time Alec relaxed and let him kiss him, pressing back just as eagerly.

“God, you’re divine.” Magnus whispered, as he pulled back just enough to get the words out. Alec felt his skin tingle and his insides warm. 

“We need some rules, Magnus. We can’t just be all over each other all the time. This, us, whatever it is, is against the rules. I should be putting a stop to this right now.” Alec told him. 

Magnus’ face changed in an instant. Just like that, Alec was looking back at the scared, vulnerable man that he had seen last night when he had burst into his room. His stomach twisted.

“You, you don’t want to be with me?” Magnus said, head hung low and eyes shining. 

Fuck. 

Alec could have kicked himself right now. It had been all too easy to forget that the bright bubbly, cheeky Magnus that had pounced on his lap a moment ago had only a few hours ago had someone try to hurt or kill him. That traumatised side of him had only been just under the surface and it had taken only a few ill-chosen words to bring him out once more.

Alec felt so bad right now. He put his finger under his chin and lifted his face back up to his. 

“Magnus, that’s not what I meant. I said I should be putting a stop to it, not that I was going to. I’ve been thinking about you pretty much from day one as well. We just have to be careful, okay?” He said quietly, and he leaned forward to brush his lips to his. What was wrong with him? He couldn’t believe he was doing this. 

He felt Magnus respond and soon they were wrapped in each other’s arms, giving each other what they wanted. 

“I want you in my bed again tonight. I want to feel that beautiful body against mine.” Magnus whispered against his ear before running the tip of his tongue around the outer shell. 

Alec couldn’t help the moan that slipped from him. God, this felt so good. Why had he denied himself for so long. 

“Like that, huh?” Alec could hear the heat in his voice as he moved his mouth down to his lobe and sucked it between his lips. Alec was sure he was about to burst into flames.

“Hmm. Yeah, too much. God, what have I gotten into.” He said softly, running his hands up and down Magnus’ sides.

“Not me yet, but hopefully that will happen soon.” 

Alec almost chocked. He gave Magnus an ‘are you serious’ look but got a cheeky grin as an answer.

“You’re something else, you know that?” Alec said, kissing him briefly.

“Oh yes, Alexander, I’m well aware.” 

Fuck he sure had jumped into the deep end with this guy. He just hoped he could swim.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the day was an absolute whirlwind. They had gotten to the gym and Alec had found his brand-new feelings brought with them a whole new set of issues as well. For some reason, he was now crazy jealous of Sergei, even though the guy had never even looked like putting a hand on Magnus that wasn’t related to exercise. 

Alec felt extremely uncomfortable with the thoughts that he had of himself, launching at the innocent personal trainer’s throat and pinning him to a wall somewhere all for touching Magnus’ arm. Highly inappropriate and way too soon to be even a possibility. Didn’t stop him from having them though.  
Alec spent the rest of his work out session trying very hard not to blatantly stare right at him, acting like a kid who was looking in a toy store window. ‘Normal’ as an extremely hard concept to portray when you had to make yourself seem like it. 

All of a sudden, it was like he was seeing the man in his true light, for the first time. Golden skin, beads of sweat running off it, handsome face set in a determined frown, muscles undulating under his skin, urgh, the guy was sex on a stick! 

It was more of a case now of not looking at him more than keeping an eye on him more. 

By the time Magnus had finished, he was edgy as hell and he followed Magnus down the hall and to the change rooms, feeling like a cat on a hot tin roof. Even Magnus had picked up on it.

“Alexander, is there….” He started as they went down the short hall to the lockers, but Alec cut him off with a raised finger.

“Shh, just get your clothes and get in the change rooms.” He said in a low voice. So not the thing to say to someone who just had someone make an attempt on their life. Magnus’ face immediately grew wary.

“Is there something wrong?” 

“No, not really, just, just, let’s go.” Alec said, preferring not to elaborate bout it out in the hall where anyone could walk up to them.

Magnus got his things and then they headed down to the room. 

Alec pushed ahead of him a little more forcefully than warranted. 

“Hey, what’s going….” Magnus frowned, about to open the door. 

“Just stay right here. Don’t move.” Alec ordered him. He entered the room and looked around, checking things out in both the changing area and the showers before going back to Magnus, heart now thumping hard in his chest. 

“So, am I safe?” Magnus frowned at him, hands on his hips. Suddenly Alec grabbed his arms and shoved him hard against the wall beside the door.

“No, not really.” Alec growled and did what he’d been thinking about for the entire time they had gotten there; slamming his mouth down on his in a hard lust filled kiss. 

Magnus had given a small surprised grunt as he hit the wall, but Alec’s mouth had stifled any further noises he was thinking of making. Alec felt his body moulding into his the most delicious way and now he had gone that extra mile over that invisible line, he was finding it hard to stop. 

It wasn’t until he heard voices in the hall outside that he finally pulled back leaving them both breathless and wanting. 

“God damn it, I need that shower, a cold one. All I want to do right now is drag you under the water with me, get you all wet and slide all over that smoking hot body of yours. Can I take a raincheck on that thought?” Magnus said, his voice low and deep and the light that shone in his eyes had Alec going weak at the knees. 

Before he could answer, the door started to open, and Magnus gave him a cheeky grin and a wink before he headed for the showers. 

Alec forced himself back into work mode, even though his heart was galloping in his chest and the crotch of his pants had tightened considerably. The two men that had entered the room, gave him a small nod before heading for the bathroom and Alec straightened his shoulders and stiffened his spine. 

The minute they had gone from sight he let out a breath and sunk to the wooden bench beside him. Christ, what was wrong with him? He had to wake up to himself and do his job when he was out with Magnus like this. That had been way too close, and he shivered at the thought of what that whole scene would have looked like if they hadn’t heard them before they came in. 

He knew that to a certain point, there would be no going back now, but he had to remain vigilant when he was out with Magnus, even at the penthouse. It would be all too easy to get lost in the new feelings he was having for the guy, but it didn’t lessen the threat that still very much present. I would only take one small slip for someone who was determined to hurt him to find a way to do just that and the whole concept made him feel sick to his stomach.  
Especially now. 

Alec had the totally irrational thought about secluding Magnus in his penthouse, locking everyone else out, making him cancel his show, so that he could keep him safe. His mind began to explore what it would be like to be holed up in the penthouse, just the two of them, alone. Free to do and act as they pleased, without the worry of someone interrupting them or Magnus having to be elsewhere. 

Alec leaned back against the wall, head back, eyes closed, a soft smile on his face. Lying on that big sectional sofa with him at night, lights off, fireplace going, giving the room a glow that made his skin look like dark honey. Snuggled under a throw rug, sharing popcorn and watching some stupid movie but not really watching it because they’d be too busy looking into each other’s eyes, and then joining their lips together in a blissfully tender kiss, that would slowly grow to something more heated.

A little giggle snapped him out of his day dreams and his eyes flew open as he saw Magnus standing nearly him, towel slung around his waist and water beading on his skin. Jesus, why did he have to torture him like this? 

“Late night, handsome? Or just some entertaining thoughts, and don’t be shy about sharing them if they are as good as you looked just then, I wanna be let in on them too.” He bent down and kissed him, his hand cupping the front of his pants. 

Alec gave a small squeak of surprise and jumped. He wasn’t used to getting literally man handled like this. He pulled back, looking towards the bathroom door. 

“Shit, Magnus, there are people in there.” He whispered, trying to get his head together again.

“Nice to see that you brought your weapon with you, Alexander. Must be one of those with the extra-long barrel,” He purred, giving his growing hardness a final squeeze before he kissed him softly again, tracing his lips with the tip of his tongue before standing back up. “Don’t let that thing go off in there, I want to be around when it does.” 

Alec almost chocked as he went back around to start dressing. The guy had no filter what so ever. Totally inappropriate. 

And he fucking loved it.

The rest of the day was chaotic, well that’s the way it looked to Alec. They had gone back to the scene of the crime and he made sure that the stage hands and lighting guys had checked all the equipment out thoroughly before he’d let Magnus near the stage. 

They didn’t get much time to be together at all, Magnus was way too busy with his performance prep to get the chance. Alec had started out thinking that it was a good thing; staying away from temptation and easing back from each other a bit but as the day wore on, he realised just how much he was missing his touch already. 

Magnus managed to shoot him little sideways glances whenever he could, accompanied with a saucy wink every now and then. He wanted to break out into a big goofy grin at him each time but instead he just succeeded in pulling strange faces that Magnus kept giving snorts of laughter at and making the others around him give him weird looks. 

There always seemed to be someone clambering for his attention for the rest of the day, but Magnus managed to get a couple of minutes here and there to pull Alec into a prop storage room or into a dark corner and kiss the hell out of him before going back to work. 

It was six o’clock before the rehearsal had ended and by then Alec was almost beside himself with the need to feel him close to him again. Magnus must have been thinking the same way because he practically ran him out to the car and shoved him into the back seat. The door was barely shut when Magnus pounced on him, pushing him down onto the seat and smothering him with kisses.

“God, I’ve been missing this. Missing you.” Magnus whispered, raising his head just enough to be able to form the words.

“But it’s only been a couple of hours, Magnus.” Alec reminded him, giving a small laugh.

“I don’t care, it feels a lot longer to me. Listen, I want to take you out for dinner.” Magnus said, hovering over him.

“But we haven’t got a reservation anywhere, I won’t get a chance to check the place out properly, there will be god only knows who in the place…….” Alec got a classic eye roll but also an amused grin.

“Alexander, are you always this difficult to take on a date?” 

Alec could feel his face heating and he averted his eyes from his. How would he know, he’d never been on a date before in his life? Magnus put a finger under his chin and lifted his face back up to his.

 

“What is it? What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing, it’s fine.” Alec tried to make his voice light and care free while all the while his self-conscious was standing there with his hands on his hips pointing an accusatory finger right at him shouting “liar!” 

Some small twist of good fortune allowed Magnus to take his reaction to the dinner invitation the wrong way and at least got him off the hook for the real reason he had blushed.

“You know I was only joking, don’t you? I don’t give a rat’s ass what happened with any other dates you’ve been on, this one will be with me and I guarantee it will be better than any you’ve been on before.” Magnus said, smiling softly down at him. 

Alec looked back at him and pushed all thoughts of his lack of dating experience to the back of his mind. He didn’t want to ruin something he’d been dreaming of for years now by negative thoughts.

“I’m sure it will be.” He said to him and kissed him softly. 

Magnus directed Meliorn to drive them to an address downtown, and a little out of the way then the other restaurants in the area. They pulled up out the front and Alec looked out the tinted window. It was a small place, wedged between two other businesses that looked like they only opened through the day. It looked like it had been there for a while, and from the name, Little Italy, it wasn’t hard to guess what they served. 

“I’ve been coming here for years. The food is great, and the owners are lovely people. I never have to worry about prying eyes anywhere, I can be just one of the crowd, so to speak.” Magnus told him and Meliorn opened the door and he went to get out, but Alec held him back.

“Let me check things out first I don’t….” He started but Magnus silenced him with a quick kiss. 

“Hey, consider this after hours. You’re off duty, okay? Tonight, you’re my boyfriend, not my body guard, alright?” Magnus gave him a stern look.

Alec felt his heart give leap in his chest. Boyfriend, he called him his boyfriend! Oh god, he wanted to break out into a huge grin and throw himself into his arms and hold him tight. He had no idea how much those words meant to him. But he didn’t want to go overboard and let Magnus know how very inexperienced he was. He was about to go on his very first date with a guy ever and he wanted to cherish this moment in spite of feeling extremely guilty about it being with a client.

“Okay, whatever you say.” He finally said, smiling, and letting out a resigned sigh. 

The cosy little restaurant was everything that Magnus had said it was; apart from being treated like royalty and being waited on by the owners themselves, no one else that was dining there took any notice of them. The pasta they had was wonderful and it wasn’t long into their date, that Alec actually allowed himself to relax into it. 

He couldn’t imagine a more perfect first date as they sat side by side in a padded booth sharing the delicious food and a bottle of wine. 

Alec let Magnus do most of the talking, telling him about the shows that he’d done and what he was planning for the upcoming one. It sounded fascinating and Alec started to feel himself getting excited to see him actually performing all the things that he was telling him about. 

After they ate, and Maria, one half of the husband and wife owners of the place came and gushed over them, telling them what a handsome couple they made and that they should come back again very soon, they headed back to the penthouse. 

Alec couldn’t remember when he’d felt so loose and relaxed. He sat in the back seat, his arm around Magnus’ shoulders, his head resting on the top of his chest, and his cheek laying against his soft silky black hair. 

Magnus was trailing his fingers lazily up and down his arm and it was crazy how good just this simple touch felt to him. He’d come from a back ground where any signs of affection were doled out sparingly to say the least. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hugged, let alone touched with any emotion attached to it, so this was somewhat alien to him. 

Alec didn’t know anything about relationships, passed knowing that he wanted one, and he was still trying to reconcile himself with the waring feelings of that deep seeded warmth he felt each time he and Magnus were together and the guilt he felt about breaking the rules that he’d been a staunch upholder of up till now, but one thing he was sure of was that with every passing minute that he was with Magnus like this, his need for this type of contact with him was growing stronger. 

Alec felt the car bounce and opened his eyes to see that they were pulling into the parking space under the building. In a few very short minutes, he’d have to leave Magnus’ side and become what he’d been hired to do in the first place, his body guard. 

He straightened in the seat and Magnus pressed in harder to him. “No, don’t go.” 

Alec looked down at him.” I’m not going anywhere you aren’t going, Magnus.”

“Yes, you are, you’re closing the door on someone I want to get to know better.”

He looked so dejected it was hurting Alec to look at him this way, but didn’t he remember he had a job to do?

“It has to be this way, you know that. I’ve broken so many rules being with you like this as it is. “

“Fuck the rules.” Magnus barked and pulled back from him. 

Alec felt a dull ache take up residence in his chest. Didn’t he know that it was getting increasingly harder with each passing minute they spent together to maintain the indifferent facade that his job required? 

He was about to open his mouth and try to explain the way he was feeling to him when they pulled up into the parking space and he had to get out and make sure everything looked okay.

Alec forced himself to put away any feelings he was having and scouted around the area and then went back to the car and gave Meliorn the go ahead to open the door for Magnus.

“Am I in the clear, Mr Lightwood?” Magnus said as he emerged from the car, stiffening his stance. His displeasure at the situation was rolling off him in waves but Alec had no choice but to take it with Meliorn standing right beside them. 

“Yes, we should get up to the penthouse though.” He said, hoping the hard edge he had to his voice conveyed his equal unease about things.

They walked side by side to the elevator and got straight in, Alec pressing the button for the penthouse. Magnus went to stand on the opposite side of the lift. Alec wanted to shiver from the coldness that was rapidly filling the small space. If the silence got any frostier he wouldn’t have been surprised to see snow flakes falling from the ceiling. 

“Magnus, please don’t be like this.” He kept facing the doors, knowing that the security cameras were being monitored down stairs.

“I’m sorry Mr Lightwood, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Alec wanted to scream. Why was he being so difficult about this? Surely, he knew the risk he was taking for him.

“Are you really going to be this way about things? I have a job to do, Magnus. I was employed to keep you safe.” 

“So that’s what I am? Just a job? Is spending the night with a client and then attacking them in a gym change room a service you provide free of charge or is that an extra? Am I going to get a bill?” 

Alec felt Magnus’ words cutting him deep. His temper and his face both hit boiling point at the same time. He spun around, not caring what the two security guys in their little room downstairs would think. He just hoped neither of them could lip read.

“Now you’re just being ridiculous and hurtful. I’ve never done this with a client before in my life that’s why I have to be so careful when I’m around you. I would lose my job in a heartbeat if Aldertree found out about us. If there even is an us. 

I’m attracted to you, Magnus, big time, way more than I ever thought I could be. You’ve been on my mind practically since day one, and it terrifies me that what I feel for you will compromise how I do my job and you’ll be hurt, or worse. My heart nearly stopped when that light fell the other day. What if I’d been distracted and I hadn’t been there. Last night when we were together was the best night of my life, and all we did was be together. 

I’m craving you with every fibre of my being right now, but we have to play by the rules.” 

Alec’s pulse was racing right now; he’d never been so open and honest about how he felt about anything before in his life. It was scary as hell but the pressure that had been mounting in his chest dissipated a little. 

He looked at Magnus who looked back at him, somewhat shell-shocked. At least the snarky look was off his face now. Suddenly he walked over to the corner of the lift where the security camera was mounted and jumped up, reaching out and pulling the small black wire out from behind it.

“Magnus, what the hell….” Alec said, staring in shock at what he had done. 

“This is what I think, Alexander, fuck the rules.” He growled and the deep new tone to his voice was sending shivers running through him as he walked over to the control panel and slammed his hand down on the red button, bringing them to a grinding holt. 

He turned and grabbed Alec, taking him into his arms and pressing him tight against his body before kissing him so hard and so deep that Alec was groaning and feeling weak at the knees within the first couple of seconds. 

If Magnus hadn’t of finally lifted his lips from his, Alec was sure that we would have cheerfully stayed lip locked to him until he had literally hit the floor from lack of air. 

“Still care about rules?” Magnus murmured against his mouth, hands holding him firmly around the waist. 

“What rules?” Alec drawled, heavy eyed and breathless. 

“There you are, I have my adorable Alexander back. Think you could stick around until bed time?” Magnus said softly, putting small kisses just under the straight edge of his jaw. Even as fuzzy headed as Alec was feeling right now, he could still here the self-satisfaction in his words and feel the smile on his lips with each kiss. 

“I’m not going anywhere.” Alec breathed, nuzzling into the soft skin near Magnus’ ear. 

“Good.” Magnus said, kissing him softly once more, before he reached around and pushed the button to start the elevator once more. 

Magnus peeled himself out of Alec’s arms resulting in Alec nearly hitting the floor and going back to stand on the other side of the lift, leaving him struggling to regain some composure before they had to face the real world once more. 

“You don’t play fair.” He said, straightening his clothes and trying to ignore the have hard bulge in the front of his pants.

“Who said anything about playing fair? If I want something, Alexander, I’m prepared to do just about anything to get it. And I want you. A lot.” He looked over at Alec with a gaze so heated, Alec lost his breath. 

“Fuck yes.” He half whispered, and he was about to go over to him when the elevator came to a stop and the doors dinged open.  
And all hell broke loose.


	9. Chapter 9

Everyone was talking at once. Raphael being in the for front. 

“What happened?”

“The camera feed was stopped.”

“Why was the camera disconnected?”

“Did something happen?”

“Were you arguing?”

“Why did you do that? Don’t you know how panicked we were?”

The second the doors of the elevator had slid open, they were bombarded with worried faces and a barrage of questions. 

It took Alec’s brain a few long seconds to compute what all the fuss was about after that last kiss had left him lightheaded and needy as hell.

Magnus, of course, acted like this was a regular occurrence for him. But then again, he was probably used to have people in his face.

“We’re fine. It’s all fine. See? I’m in one piece.” He said, holding up his hands in surrender to the group which consisted of the two security guys, Raphael, Margaret and Meliorn who looked out of breath and sweaty. Wow, had he actually run up all the flights of stairs to get to them? 

Raphael visibly relaxed. He left out a sigh and then hands on hips and a frown creasing his forehead he faced Magnus.

“What the hell went on in that elevator, Magnus? Why did you pull the cord on the camera?” 

“Does it matter why? I’m here in one piece.” Magnus said, as they all walked to the penthouse door which had been left open, much to Alec’s dismay. 

Alec was hoping to stay out of this discussion as much as possible although he knew eventually, things would circle back to him. The last of the tingly after effects of their kisses were still making their presence known and he hoped he didn’t look as ruffled as felt. 

“Yes, damn it, it does matter. Mike and Pete here said it looked like you two had been arguing just before hand. What was that about?” 

By now, they had reached the door and were about to go inside. The security guys looked at each other after looking at the way Raphael was glaring at his best friend and boss and mumbled something about having to get back to work and left. Margaret must have sensed trouble brewing as well and just discreetly left them to it. Her eyes gave a small flicker towards Alec’s just before she turned, and Alec felt a twinge of something in his gut. Yeah, he got the feeling that she knew all too well what went on in that elevator. 

“Alexander and I were only talking, and since when is it up to them to comment on what we were discussing, anyway?” Magnus had kept walking further into the penthouse, going into the kitchen and then over to the drinks cabinet. His offhandedness about the situation only seemed to make Raphael more determined to get to the bottom of things. 

“Since your life is in danger and you pulled the fucking plug on the security camera. Now what the hell went on in there?” 

Alec really didn’t want to be there but at the same time he didn’t want to let Magnus out of his sight when Raphael was wound up like this. The guy had seemed pretty chilled and he didn’t think he would be capable of hurting him, but he didn’t know him that well and anything was possible when someone got angry enough. 

Magnus head came up from where he had been pouring himself a drink, eyes going straight to Raphael’s. “Now listen, Raph, we may have known each other for a long time and you’re my best friend in the world and I love you, but I don’t appreciate your tone. I was perfectly safe, Alexander was with me. That’s what you hired him for in the first place, wasn’t it?” 

“Then why did you feel the need to disable the camera and stop the lift? What were you doing that required that to happen?” Raphael was now looking back and forth between Alec and Magnus. Alec began to feel more than a little uncomfortable. Raphael wasn’t stupid, he knew something had gone on.

“Alexander and I were talking about a sensitive subject, we needed privacy.” Magnus said taking a seat at the table with his drink. 

“But there is no audio in the elevator only vision, so why the plug pull?” Raphael wasn’t going to be satisfied with anything but a solid explanation. Alec felt himself tensing. He didn’t think Magnus would tell his friend the absolute truth, but he was more than a little worried about what he would say. A snap decision made him open his mouth before he had time to rethink it.

“I told something to Magnus that was personal. He wanted to give us a few minutes to talk about it in private. I wasn’t happy about him pulling the camera cord and stopping the lift either, but he did it before I had a chance to stop him.” 

Magnus eyes shot to his and he saw him raise his eyebrows, and a mix of surprise and amusement on his face. But Raphael still wasn’t satisfied.  
“Once again, why did that require the black out?” 

“Because I told Magnus that I was gay. He realised it was a deeply personal issue for me wanted to give me some privacy.” 

Alec couldn’t believe he had just outed himself like that. His eyes darted back and forth between Magnus and Raphael who both looked as shocked as he felt. He was still pretty rattled by how strong his attraction to Magnus was and on top of that add the ‘incident’ in said elevator and how it had turned his brain and skeletal system into mush. 

He hadn’t liked the way Raphael had been like a dog with a bone and wouldn’t let up on Magnus either and he wasn’t sure if it was still his deeply ingrained work ethic and the need to protect his charge at all cost or that he just didn’t like the way the other man was talking to his new boyfriend, but he had felt it building up inside him with every syllable that came out of Raphael’s mouth. And for the life of him, he had no idea why he had chosen that to break the tension.  
He hadn’t just come out of the closet, he’d practically kicked the door down. Magnus recovered enough to make himself look like it was old news to him and Raphael straightened his shoulders and shuffled his feet a little, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

“I see. Well,” He said, clearing his throat. “Was there a reason you chose right then and there to tell Magnus that about yourself?” 

Magnus had a noise of frustration in the back of his throat and rolled his eyes far enough that he should have been about to see the inside of his skull.

“Raphael, let it go. I think we’ve embarrassed Mr lightwood enough for one night. I’m fine, he’s fine, that’s all that matters. Not everything is a conspiracy theory, not every corner or shadowy place has a monster lurking behind it. Now, if you both don’t mind, I think I will retire for the night. Raph, I suggest you go home and do the same, and rest assured I will be perfectly fine with Alexander here with me. No one else will get their hands on me while he’s around.” He stood up and looked at his friend expectantly. 

Alec could feel his face heating. God, Magnus, why didn’t you just come right out and tell him that they had been all over each other like cheap suits not half an hour ago and be done with it? He didn’t know him all that well yet but there was one thing he was sure of; Magnus Bane had very little filtering system from his brain to his mouth. 

“Alright, if you say so. Good night, Alec, Magnus.” Raphael’s cool tone let them know that he wasn’t fully on board with the explanation he’d been given, and that he wasn’t a fan of being dismissed like a chastised school boy either. 

At least Magnus had enough sense to wait until they both heard the front door close before he walked up to Alec and grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into his mouth, kissing him long and deep. 

That fog was starting to creep into his mind again and he moaned softly into his mouth, the awkwardness with Raphael fading already.

“Alone at last.” Magnus whispered to him, his hands travelling up either side of his spine and making his skin tingle in their wake. Magnus trailed kisses along the edge of his jaw, and Alec could feel his knees weakening. His grasp on common sense and knowing that he still had his security check to do, was quickly slipping through his fingers and he used the last of his will power to pull back.

Big mistake. Now he was looking into a pair of deep dark eyes, soft and dreamy with need. 

“Magnus, I have to make sure the place is secure.” He said, his voice a full octave deeper now. 

“But I’m secure. Secure me in your arms in my bed. I’ll be safe as houses.” He crooned, now fingers were weaving through the back of his hair and sending lightning flashes bursting through him. It was on the tip of his tongue to say fuck the security check and take Magnus up on his offer, but he knew that he’d feel more than a little guilty if he didn’t do his job. 

“Why don’t you go to your room and I’ll meet you there as soon as I’m finished, okay?” Alec kissed his greedy lips twice more before with a pout, Magnus headed off down the hall. 

“Don’t be long, handsome, I’ll get lonely.” He said saucily over his shoulder, one dark brow arched seductively high. 

When he had gone, Alec let out a breath and braced himself on the end of the kitchen counter. He took in slow deep breaths, trying to restore some of his brain power. Fuck me, if this wasn’t intense.

He held out a hand before his face and watched it shaking along with the rest of his body. His inexperienced nervousness had come back to him two-fold. Here he was, finally, after all these years of dreaming what this moment would be like, thinking that when it happened, he would be more than ready for it and bursting at the seams with enthusiasm. But instead, the thought of sleeping with that gorgeous man in there who was right now probably laying in his bed, anticipating his arrival, was scaring him to death. 

He’d never had sex with anyone before. He felt like he was about to be given a test that he hadn’t studied for. The story of his life, all theory and no practice. He straightened up. It was ironic that all the times he had done something that other people would consider dangerous or frightening, he hadn’t hesitated, jumping in regardless, not letting it phase him at all. 

But here he was, on the brink of doing something he had only ever dreamed of doing, something completely pleasurable and wonderful and he’d never been so shit scared in his life. He was still trying to get his legs to work so he could at least do the security check and hopefully, he could find the courage he needed hiding somewhere around the penthouse. 

“He’s nervous too, you know. Don’t let all the bravado fool you.” 

Alec yelped and felt like his heart had stopped. He clutched his chest and turned around, fast enough to feel giddy. Margaret was standing behind the counter, a handbag hanging from one shoulder, one hand holding a bunch of keys, her friendly face softened further with a knowing smile.   
“Sorry, I thought you had gone. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here.” Alec said, gathering his scattered wits. 

“I’m on my way out. I made myself scarce while you three were talking earlier. I make it a policy to stay out of Magnus’ domestic affairs. I might be a meddling old woman, but I just wanted to tell you not to beat yourself up so much. This is new territory for him too.” Her pale blue eyes twinkled at Alec and he could feel his face heating. 

The uneasiness he still felt about his growing attraction and how it was breaking all the rules, both self-imposed and otherwise, had him trying to deny everything.

“There’s really nothing going… He started, talking way too high pitched and quickly to be believable, even to his own ears. Not surprisingly, Margret was slowly shaking her head, a soft smile on her lips. 

“I know I’m not as young as I used to be but there is nothing wrong with my eyesight, Alec. I see what’s happening between you and I think it’s wonderful. For both of you. Just don’t let him try and convince you that it’s nothing special, it’s his way of protecting himself.” 

Alec felt his skin prickling. Obviously, Margret was seeing way more than he was from her seat on the side lines. Alec felt some of the tension draining out of him. He was beginning to like bomb proof Margret. 

“Do you really think so? I mean, it’s only been a couple of days.” He knew it was useless to pretend anymore, and it was kind of nice to have someone who understood.

“Oh, I think it’s been a bit longer than that. And yes, I do think so. You’re special, Alec. He’s never had anyone else in his bed before.” She was looking at him very seriously. 

Alec wanted to get all giggly and gush “Really? No one?” but he kept himself in check, even though his eyebrows rose so high they got lost in his hairline. But he didn’t want her getting the wrong idea about last night.

“Oh, no, we ah, we actually, um didn’t…..” He was stumbling and tripping over his words, not wanting to come right out and tell her that they hadn’t really done anything but knowing that for him, at least, it had been a pretty big deal.

“Say no more, you don’t owe me any explanation. I’m not Magnus’ mother, but this morning, he was different, so whatever it was that you ‘didn’t’ do, it made an impact, in a good way.” Margaret said, as she walked around the end of the counter. She put a motherly hand on his shoulder. Alec smiled shyly.

“I’ll get out of your hair, now. I’m pretty sure he’s waiting for you. Keep our boy safe, alright? And listen, don’t stress too much about things, just let it happen naturally. You’ll be fine.” Margaret gave his arm a final pat before she headed for the door. 

Alec found he had a soft smile curving his lips for the rest of the security check around the penthouse. He was still nervous but not quite as much as he had been before. Margaret was right. He really needed to stop over thinking things. 

But by the time he had set the alarms, turned out the lights and was heading for Magnus’ bedroom, he had the worst case of butterflies in his stomach he could ever remember having. 

He got to the door and raised a hand to knock. So many things were going through his head right now; god, don’t let him make a fool of himself, don’t let Magnus see his awkwardness and know that he had never done this before, maybe he should have showered first, changed his clothes, at least.   
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the door, trying to gain the courage just to knock at this point. Suddenly the door swung open and he pitched forward, right into a very surprised Magnus’ arms.

“Alexander, what in the world……? What were you doing out here? You were so long I was afraid you’d changed your mind.” 

Alec now felt really stupid. “Ah, nothing, I just made sure everything was secure and I was about to knock.” Not an all-out lie, but it felt like it was.

Magnus held him tightly against him. “I’ve been thinking about this all day. Come on, let’s get you out of those clothes.” 

Alec smiled at him and hoped he couldn’t feel how hard his heart was now beating inside his chest. It had been different the night before, he’d already undressed for bed before he’d gone to Magnus. There was something way more intimate about the thought of Magnus removing his clothes.   
The bedroom was bathed in a soft light from a single bedside lamp and Magnus himself was wearing a full length heavy silk robe in a deep rich red. He led Alec to the side of the bed and he tried not to let the fact that they were so close to it’s smooth, inviting, soft surface was making his skin tingle.   
Magnus bunched his hands in the material of his shirt front, either side where it was opened. 

“I think if I could, I’d make you walk around shirtless all day. You’re too beautiful to be kept hidden.” Hi voice was deep and smooth and made Alec want to go weak at the knees. Was that normal? Did other people’s boyfriends get them hot just by the sound of their voice? He had no idea. Damn being so inexperienced.   
Magnus looked up into his eyes; it was only for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for Alec to see the fire in them. He swallowed and licked his lips nervously. 

He watched as Magnus’ nimble fingers started undoing the buttons of his shirt, painfully slowly and with each one, he brushed his fingers against his chest, sending bursts of heat shooting through him each time. 

Magnus got to the last three buttons and after a look from beneath long dark lashes, he bent his head and each time he undid a button, exposing another inch or so of pale skin, he added a warm soft kiss. 

Alec moaned softly and eye slowly closing, tilted his head back in ecstasy. One hand went to card through his silky raven hair, encouraging him to let his lips linger longer on his skin. On the second last button, Magnus added the tip of his tongue, and he gave a soft chuckle as he felt Alec reacting to its warm wetness.  
“God, I love that, feeling you quiver under my mouth is divine. If this can get a response like this from you, what are you going to be like when I take you and make you shatter into a thousand pieces, hmm?” 

As much as Alec had been uneasy about the close proximity of the bed and what may or may not occur in it, if Magnus kept saying these things to him or doing this to him, he was grateful for a soft place to fall onto when his legs gave out on him. 

Magnus had finally reached the last button and with its release, he kissed his way back up to stay before Alec, sliding both hands under the shoulders of the shirt. Alec was trying to control his breathing as he let his hand drop to his side, very conscious of the way Magnus was looking at him like he was about to discover something breathtaking. 

The soft cotton material slid over his skin, off his broad shoulders, down his tensed biceps and then, as he automatically pushed his arms back behind him, it whispered off his forearms and fell to the floor soundlessly. What he did hear, however, was the sound of Magnus’ sharp intake of breath and then as he stood before him, his own hitch in his breath when he saw the hungry look in his eyes. Oh god.

Magnus’ head shook slowly from side to side, never wavering from what was in front of him.

“If I lived to be a thousand years old, I’d never get sick of the sight of you like this, Alexander. You’re exquisite.” His eyes were roaming over every inch of his bare torso, making Alec want to try to cover himself. 

“Do you know how much I’ve wanted to have you like this?” Magnus put his palms flat against the swell of his pecs, fingers burrowing into the sparse smattering of short dark hair. “Remember that day in the pool when you were talking about your scars?” 

How could he forget? He’d nearly lost his shit right there and then in the water. He didn’t trust his voice to sound steady, so he just gave him a nod.  
“I have a confession to make. After seeing you without a shirt that first time you went in the water with me, I racked my brains to think of an excuse to be able to actually touch you without you thinking that it meant something. Even though it actually did. You had my mouth watering that night, just like you do now.” 

Magnus glided his hand up to trace the tip of one finger over the slightly darker pink of the old wound. Alec could hear his pulse in his ears, nearly the same way he could the first time he had done this. 

“I hate to think of how much this hurt you. If I had been there, it would have killed me to see you in pain like that. I know it doesn’t hurt anymore, but I want to make it feel better, make you feel better.” Magnus voice sounded dreamy, like he was more talking to himself than to Alec. 

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the slightly raised defect, covering its entirety with soft chaste kisses. Alec groaned and felt himself sag a little. His hands came up to rest at either side of Magnus’ waist, steadying his stance. 

Magnus worked his way up the slope of his shoulder, then his neck, where he mouthed at the junction of his neck, sucking the tender skin into his mouth, lavishing it with his tongue, before moving on the underside of his jaw and then just as Alec was about to actually beg him for his mouth to cover his own, he joined his lips to his in a kiss that had them moulding against one another. 

Alec was fast losing his grip on conscious thought. He was still a little apprehensive about how far this kiss would take them, but it was working like a localised anaesthetic on his jangling nerves; he knew full well what was happening, but his earlier fear about his lack of experience, wasn’t as sharp as it had been.   
Magnus’ hands had been roaming the contours of the muscles in his back, delicious sounding hums of delight were vibrating against Alec’s lips and somehow, they were going straight to his cock, making it thicken and push against his pants. He felt his face heating at the thought that any minute now, Magnus was going to be acutely aware of how he was affecting him. 

He heard him give a soft snort of laughter. “Fuck, you’re adorable when you blush like that. You have no idea how much that turns me on.” His parted lips, warm and soft from kisses, hovered millimetres from Magnus’, his breath making him redden even more with the heat of it. 

Magnus brought up a finger and traced it around his lip line, sending chills racing through him.

“I want you so bad right now I can taste it.” He whispered. 

Before Alec had time to react, Magnus had grabbed the front of his pants and started undoing the button and fly. And bam, just like that, his nerves returned. Magnus paused, his fingers on the tag of the zipper, poised to release it.

“Alexander, what’s wrong? Do you not want me like this?” 

Alec wanted to kick himself over the distinct sound of disease he heard in his voice. Why was he feeling so damn scared of something he had been wanting for most of his adult life? Here he was, half naked, with the most handsome man he’d ever seen up close before, and one that just told him how much he wanted him, a dream come true, and he was in real danger of spoiling this for both of them because of his lack of experience and his embarrassment about it.   
Magnus looked up into his eyes, concerned. He took his hands off his pants and put them either side of his face, making him look into his eyes. 

“I know you want this, I can feel it in the way you kiss me, not to mention that gorgeous hard bulge that keeps pressing into me, so what’s wrong? I want you to tell me.” 

Oh god, should he really say it? Tell him that he was a twenty-eight-year-old virgin? He’d always hated keeping secrets, knowing that the longer they were kept hidden deep inside you, the more they festered and made things worse. If he had the balls to fall for a client and spend the night with him, on more than one occasion, then he could come out and tell Magnus this, he deserved to know the truth, even if it meant the total disaster of him rejecting him because of it. He looked deep into the two fathomless dark brown orbs before him and drew in a breath.

“You’re right, I do want this. So much, but-uh- I’ve never done this before.” 

There, it was out. He held his breath. His eyes scanned Magnus’ face for any hint of a reaction. He saw his brow furrow.

“What do you mean? Like, you’ve never spent the night with anyone before?” 

Alec nodded. “I’ve never been with anyone, ever.” He hated how his voice sounded weak. He looked down, now not wanting to see what Magnus was thinking.  
“Alexander, look at me,” He forced his head back up with his hands, so that once again they were locked to his gaze. “I might have had a few, shall we say, acquaintances, in the past, but I’m so deeply honoured that you want me to be the first person you want to be with. And if you want to know the truth, you are the first man I’ve ever had in my bed. I know that I only wanted to share it with someone extremely special, and when I found that person, I would know. You, Alexander, it’s you that was meant to be beside me.” 

It took Alec a few seconds for what Magnus had just said to him to sink in. Not what he’d been expecting, at all. Wow. He felt himself brightening, from the inside out. An ember of hope and excitement began to radiate in his chest. 

“You, you really don’t care that I’ve never…. That I haven’t…….” Even now he could seem to spit the words out. Magnus kissed him long and hard, exploring the inside of his mouth with his tongue and just about sending Alec to the floor.

“Does that feel like I care? I love that I get to see you come apart as I stretch you open and fill you up.” Magnus growled and took Alec’s bottom lip between his teeth, pulling it gently. 

Alec felt his cock jerk inside his underwear. The guy hadn’t even gotten his pants off and he was as hard as a rock. He wondered if this was normally how things work or if he was just over eager and under experienced. 

Magnus’ hands returned to his waist and he took the tag of the zipper in his fingers. He gave him a greasy smile.

“Now, where was I? Oh, now I remember.” He purred, and the metallic zip of the little teeth made him jump as he felt his harness straining at the opening behind his boxers. Magnus trapped him with those beetle black eyes of his while he plunged his hand down the inside of the open fly, effectively palming his dick, rubbing against it and making Alec groan and his eyes wanting to roll back into his head. 

“Someone’s excited. I think it’s time I got better acquainted with this part of your body, don’t you?” Magnus removed his hand only so that he could finish pushing down his pants and boxers over the creamy softness of his hips. 

He pushed them to the start of his thighs and then just a little further, finally allowing his throbbing length to burst free. Alec felt his cheeks heating as he fought the urge to cover himself up. Magnus was looking down at him like he’d just found the world’s greatest treasure. 

“God, you’re beautiful.” Magnus whispered as his hands went to Alec’s waist and his fingers dug into the firm flesh just a little. The fire that had been sparking in his eyes had now caught hold and was making his whole face blaze from within. 

“No one’s ever said that to me before.” Alec said shyly.

“Their lose is my gain then. I want you to take my clothes off.” He said, his voice deep and rich, making Alec’s blood boil in his veins. He swallowed and reached up to undo the first button on what looked like a very expensive silk shirt of a deep midnight blue. 

He felt like a duck with a spoon undoing the small buttons, his fingers felt like sausages compared to the small round discs of plastic, but Magnus didn’t hurry him at all, he just stood before him, watching him intently. 

Every inch of golden skin revealed was making breathing harder for Alec and by the time he had gotten to the last two buttons he could see a wide V if chiselled torso and it was making his mouth water, even as nervous as he was. 

“Touch me, Alexander, I want to feel your hands on me.” Magnus whispered to him, he eased his shoulders back, dislodging the slippery material of the shirt and letting it fall soundlessly to the floor behind him. 

The man was beautiful. A work of art. Even though he had held him last night during the storm, it hadn’t felt this intimate. His hands shook as he laid them on the slope of his shoulders, unsure which way to go, up or down. He licked his lips nervously as he decided to slide them down his arms, over the lightly veined surface of each bicep, down to the sculpted forearms with their light dusting of fine dark hair. 

Magnus was standing before him, a soft smile on his perfect lips, eyes closed. He looked like he was loving every second of this. Alec took his hands over to his ridged stomach and made a soft sound in the back of his throat as he felt the warm firmness. He loved that he could feel his abs moving in and out with each breath he took, making him press into his touch each time. 

He traversed the softness of his diaphragm, before reaching his smooth chest with its well defined pecs. His thumbs brushed over each one of the small hard nipples, the dark disc of skin surrounding them puckering as he left them. He wondered what they would feel like against his tongue, and as if on automatic pilot, he bent forward and gave each one a slow swipe. 

It surprised Magnus as much as it did him, and he heard him take in a sharp breath, his muscles contracting for a second before he felt a hand cupping the back of his head. Fingers sinking into his hair. He felt his scalp prickle. 

“Hmmm.” Magnus purred, holding his head in place, urging him to keep going. 

“You taste good.” Alec whispered, enjoying the way his actions were affecting him.

He really had no idea what he was doing. He’d never seduced another man before in his life; at this point it was all theory and no practice. He heard Margaret’s words in his mind when she told him to relax and let things happen naturally. It seemed as good advice as any and Alec licked and kissed his way up to the base of his neck where he nipped at the tender skin. 

He grew a little braver and mouthed his way up the side of his throat, reaching the underside of his jaw and then finally, his lips.

Kissing Magnus was an event. It never failed to affect him, and he wondered if they went on to see more of each other, in a few months, would he feel the same way. It was hard to think otherwise when Magnus was holding him hard against his bare torso, his wonderous physique rubbing exquisitely against his own.   
He was growing harder by the minute and he could feel his brain turning to mush. Magnus’ hands were roaming all over his body and leaving trails of fire behind them. He was going to have to get on the bed soon because his legs were starting to shake. 

Magnus, thankfully, made the decision for him and broke their contact to sit down on the side of the mattress before he hoisted himself up onto it further. He reached out a hand.

“Come here. Lay with me.” His voice was deep and hypnotic, his dark eyes blown wide with his need. Alec came closer, letting him tug him between his legs that still hung over the side of the bed. 

“You have something to finish before you join me on here.” Magnus told him, and his eyes lowered to his eyes lowering to the waistband of his pants.   
Alec knew what was instore for him, hiding behind the navy blue material, he’d been treated to the sight of it on his first day here. In this room, in fact. But the proposition of seeing him up close and personal was making his pulse race. 

Magnus was laying back on the bed, watching, waiting for him to make a move. He ignored the way his heart had gone from a trot to a gallop and reached down and undid the button and zip. He took the top of his pants in each hand and slowly pulled then down. 

Magnus raised his butt from the bed and allowed them to be able to be worked over his hips and down his thighs, boxers included. Wow, the guy was impressive, and Alec couldn’t help the way his own thickened cock jerked at the sight of him.

He pulled the pants free and let them drop to the floor with the rest of their clothes before he mounted the bed, taking up the space right beside Magnus on the cool silky quilt cover. 

“Finally, I get you where I’ve wanted you all day.” Magnus sighed, and he raised himself up on his hands, moving his body to hover over Alec’s. He brought his mouth down to start at his lips and then kissing his way to his ear, taking the lobe between his teeth and gently tugging it. 

“Urghhh, and I get to be where I’ve wanted to all day.” Alec moaned, he had no idea ears could be so damn hot.

His hands slid over the working muscles of Magnus’ back, feeling them bunch under the skin as he moved. He could feel the heat from him radiating onto his bare chest and torso, and he had an almost overwhelming urge to push him down onto him, so he could feel its burn skin to skin. 

“Fuck you taste as good as you look.” Magnus breathed in between kisses. He traced the outer shell of his ear with the tip of his tongue and Alec writhed below him, digging his fingers into the golden skin of his back. He was so hard now it was painful and the last of his nerves about this being his first time were rapidly being taken over by his need. 

“Do you want me, Alec? Have you thought about how good it would feel to have me inside you, working you into a frenzy before you explode around me?” 

Magnus half whispered the words, dark and low right in his ear before he filled it with his tongue and Alec cried out, hips bucking up, desperate for friction.  
“Fuck yes, that’s all I’ve thought about all day and if you don’t fuck me soon, I’m going to go crazy.” 

But Magnus seemed in no hurry though and moved his mouth down to his shoulder, then his chest before he took the tiny hard bud of his nipple between his teeth and then sucked it hard into his mouth. Alec whined like a wounded animal and his hand shot up to clamp his hand to Magnus’ head, loving the exquisite agony of what he was doing to him. 

Magnus moved further down to follow his treasure trail from its origins at the centre of his lower chest, down the middle of his torso, below his belly button and then onto just above the base of his erection. 

Alec was fast losing his mind. He could no longer keep still nor, could he stop the steady keening noises that were being forced from his throat. He wanted to see what he was doing, watch him as he navigated his body, but he didn’t have the strength to hold his head up anymore. 

He could feel himself trying to prepare for surely what was the next initiable destination on Magnus’ journey of discovery; his throbbing cock. His thoughts were completely scattered but he could manage to imagine what it was going to feel like to have that perfect mouth wrapped around him. The heat, the wetness, urghhh, beyond wonderful. 

But when he left his belly, he bypassed his crotch altogether, and went to his thighs, bringing first one up, and then the other, bending his knee as he kissed his way down from the flexed joint to a tantalising inch or two from his groin. 

He started shaking his head from side to side, wanting him to stop before he came, before he was ready and for him to keep going, to tease him further, drive him to distraction and make him erupt with a primal yell. 

“I can’t wait any longer to be inside you, Alexander. I have to have you. Now” Magnus growled the rumble of his voice sending delicious waves of pleasure coursing through him. 

This was it. The moment that had him equally tied in knots and eager for at the same time. 

Magnus rose from him, leaning over to pull out a drawer in the bedside table. He took out a tube of clear looking liquid and Alec realised it was lube. Had he been prepared for this? Or was it something he kept in his drawer anyway? Right now, with the way his straining cock was aching for an orgasm, he didn’t really care.   
Magnus knelt back between his legs and squeezed some of the gel into his hand before he fixed Alec with a gaze that threatened to make him burst into flames, before he brought his greased hand to his cleft and sunk it between his cheeks. 

Alec startled at the cold wet sensation of it, and Magnus smiled at him but didn’t say anything, as he began to move his hand back and forth, smearing his fingers over his entrance. Alec’s eyes rolled back in his head, in back arching as his whole body reacted to the new form of contact. Holy shit, he hadn’t expected this to feel so fucking good. This alone was in danger of making him blow his load.

He was moaning softly, biting his bottom lip, hoping that the pain of his teeth sinking into his skin would distract him from the ever growing need to erupt and spoil everything. 

“You like that, don’t you, baby.” Magnus soothed and all he was capable of was a rapid nod of his head. 

He was just starting think that he had a tentative hold on things, when Magnus pushed a finger inside him. Alec cried out, but not from discomfort, from the surprise of it. He felt his resolve and the handle on his desire slipping from his grasp. His balls drew up and he felt beads of pre come dripping onto his belly. He couldn’t last much longer, and he knew it. 

Magnus added a finger and the mind-blowing feeling it gave him was sending him crazy. His muscles were contracting around the two intruders as they slid in and out of him, stretching him, and making him grunt with the effort of holding back the inevitable. 

There was a temporary reprieve when Magnus withdrew his fingers and picked up a small packet that Alec hadn’t noticed that he’d grabbed, and he tore it open before taking the condom out and fitting it over the swollen head of his erection. He applied more lube to himself, groaning softly at his own touch before he moved forward, positioning himself at his entrance. 

Alec had taken in a breath, every fibre of his being waiting for what was coming next. He felt the slight pressure begin to grow and then the breathtaking burning stretch as Magnus entered him.

It was sensory overload and Alec struggled for a few seconds to get his mind around it, every nerve ending that he possessed felt like it was on fire as Magnus pushed forward with a steady pressure. 

Fuck, he felt so opened up and full at the same time, he consciously had to remind himself to take a breath before he passed out. 

“Dear god, you feel so fucking good, Alec, so hot and tight. I’m not going to last long like this.” Magnus said through gritted teeth. 

Alec let out a whine as he felt the last of his will power leaving him. He felt his body release the pent-up tension it had been storing and with that, Magnus sunk full length into him, making him moan loudly and let his full weight bare down onto him.

The combined wonderous feeling of his smooth chest and torso scrubbing against his, the delicious pressure and friction each movement caused on his sandwiched hardness and the indescribable ecstasy of having him buried deep, feeling each and every inch of him as he pulled back to piston into him again, sent Alec soaring over the edge and plummeting down, filling his entire being with wave after wave of pleasure. 

His body contracted around Magnus’, as he simultaneously came hard between their mashed bodies, leaving him gasping for air and totally at the mercy of his out of control senses. He held Magnus as he lay spent on his chest, his chest and belly pushing into his with each hard-panting breath. Yet another facet of his mind-blowing climax. 

“That-that was…. Urgh… I can’t….” Magnus tried to put into words exactly what he was feeling but failed spectacularly. Alec didn’t even want to try to put voice to what he had experienced, or he should say, what he was still experiencing. He had no hope. He felt totally spent, heavy limbed and boneless. His brain had been ingulfed in a post orgasmic haze, thicker than any fog and he hated to think what he looked like right then. 

He couldn’t seem to stop the broad Cheshire cat grin from stretching his mouth wide. He felt so wonderfully sated and happy, it should be illegal. It was another ten minutes before Magnus raised his head slowly to look into his heavy-lidded eyes, his own looking sexily drowsy. 

“You’re a quick learner, babe.” He said, giving him a lazy smile. Alec felt his flushed face heat a little. 

Yeah, he was.

“I think the secret is having a great teacher.” He said softly, bringing a hand up to brush a few stray damp hairs from Magnus’ forehead. He gave a small snort of laughter and then joined his lips to his. 

He gave a disappointed groan when Magnus finally rolled from him and lay beside him, curled into his side.

“I knew this was going to be good, I just underestimated how good.” Magnus said, his voice sounding heavy with tiredness. 

Alec smiled to himself. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” 

He felt Magnus kiss his chest before he nuzzled into him a little more before they both fell into a blissful sleep. His last conscious thought was how good it felt to break the rules.


	10. Chapter 10

Alec had never felt so used up yet so blissfully happy in his life before. His eyes flickered open shortly before dawn and the now familiar heaviness of Magnus’ head on his shoulder, and the casual drape of one leg over his, made him smile broadly, even before he could focus his eyes properly. 

Fuck, what a night. 

Alec had somehow managed to reach a climax three more times, before he became sincerely worried about straining something vital, his body had been totally spent. He nuzzled his nose into the scruffy spikes of dark hair, loving the smell of his earthy shampoo, and the feeling of the silky softness against his face.   
He lay there, reviewing their night together and marvelling at how fantastic it had been. The second time Magnus had taken him, was not long after the first. He’d only just gotten his breath back when Magnus had started kissing him, telling him how much he had loved their first experience of each other, when the kisses suddenly caught fire and they joined together in a frenzy of mouths, bodies and need.

They’d slept for a couple of hours after that but Alec had been woken by warm sweet kisses to his shoulders, neck and cheeks. When they joined together this time, it was slower, lazy, passionate but no less intense. By the time Alec had lay gasping for air on the bed yet again, he knew that three times was going to be his limit for the night. He was getting way too sore to keep going. Not to mention exhausted. But at the same time, he’d never been so happy to feel so totally spent in his life. 

Magnus, however, was a machine. He woke him an hour later, palming his half hard cock, and working him into full steel within minutes. Obviously that part of him hadn’t gotten the memo about being too tired. 

“Magnus, I-I just… I don’t think…” He tried to relay to him as nicely as he could about his over worked muscles between the kisses and sighs of pleasure that seemed to just flow from him now whenever Magnus touched him anywhere.

“I know, I over worked you didn’t I, handsome? That’s okay, there are other ways to get you off.” Before Alec had a chance to say anything else, he watched as Magnus gave him a rather evil looking grin before disappearing down underneath the sheets.

What the heck was he……Oh fuck!

Alec sucked in a breath as he felt those perfect soft lips start taking him into his mouth. He’d grabbed handfuls of sheet, as the constricting wet heat went from tip to base. He groaned loud enough that he was eternally grateful that there was no one else at the penthouse. 

He’d completely given himself over to the rapidly building pleasure it had given him and he’d bent his knees, spreading his legs wide, planting his feet either side of Magnus’ body and felt him grab hold of his thighs as he took him down his throat then back up, sucking hard each time. 

Alec hadn’t thought it possible to be able to come as hard as he had three times before but Magnus helped prove him wrong. 

He knew that they should be getting up, getting going before Raphael and Margaret came and the risk of them getting caught together became doubled but he’d be damned if he wanted to leave and disturb this most terrific way of waking up. 

Alec didn’t want to think about what would happen when Magnus no longer needed him to protect him, when the job was over. Would Magnus want him to leave? It was one thing for Margaret to say that he was special but he knew that he wouldn’t really know that for sure until he heard the words from the man himself. 

Would it go beyond what it was right now? Could he hope to have a real relationship with the world famous Magnus Bane? And if he did, what would it be like? Alec wondered if he would still do his job while Magnus would be on tour, sometimes for months on end. Or would he quit and travel with him, going from city to city as what, just his boyfriend? 

It was a sobering thought, and one that Alec really didn’t want to entertain too much right now when he was laying beside him, feeling his warmth permeating every inch of his body. Maybe it was just that he was so overwhelmed at finally being able to do this, but he could feel that deep down inside, that even though it had only been a very short while, that he could quite easily fall for him.

Alec took in a draft of his delicious scent, a mixture of cologne and sweat, which was making his skin tingle. He had know idea how things were going to work out for them but he knew one thing, and that was he’d be a fool to give in to his heart and fall for the guy. He remembered something that someone had once told him years ago, and that was if it looked too good to be true, then it probably was. He had to keep that in mind in this situation. 

Magnus stirred against him and as he watched, his big dark eyes slowly opened and with it a warm smile lit his face. 

“Good morning, my love. Sleep well?” 

“Yeah. What sleep I got. I wish I could just stay here for the rest of the morning and go back to sleep, holding you.” Alec said, pulling him in tighter to him. 

“Me too, babe, but I think we have about a half hour till we get invaded again for the day and I really want to get you wet.” Magnus said, starting to separate himself from Alec’s side. He looked down at him as he rose, smiling broadly. 

Alec wasn’t sure what he was talking about but Magnus stood beside the bed and held out a hand to him; whatever it was, how could he say no to a devastatingly handsome man standing naked before him, not to mention the impish grin that lit his face. 

Alec balked a little when they neared the door. What if someone had arrived and they hadn’t heard? 

“It’s fine, Alexander, I’ve known the people that work for me well enough to know how punctual they are, we’re completely safe, I can assure you.” He said, and gave him a quick kiss before he cracked open the door and pulled Alec through.

They headed for the bathroom and now the meaning of Magnus’ words became clear. Alec’s face pinked with the type of grin only created by doing something a little bit naughty and Magnus took him over to the shower and reached inside to start the water.

“I love seeing water rolling off that beautiful pale skin of yours. Get in here.” Magnus growled and with a filthy grin, he pulled Alec under the warm stream. 

Alec didn’t know what was better; the way their bodies slid up and down each other or the way Magnus looked as his biceps and shoulders flexed as he reached up to push water from his face and wet hair. Either way, it was damn hot and making him hard all over again. Could someone die from exhaustion due to having sex too much? He was beginning to think that it was a very real possibility. 

Magnus pushed into him, forcing him to lean on the glass. He flinched a little from the feel of the still cold surface on his bare back and butt cheeks, but the shiver that ran through him was caused from Magnus alone. 

He leaned in, taking his mouth in a kiss that made his legs feel like jelly and the reaction resulting in it was now firmly pressing into Alec’s lower belly, sending waves of heat pulsing through him greater than the water that was cascading over them. 

Just when he thought he’d have to try to come up with the safest way to take him in the shower, Magnus left his ravaged mouth, now puffy and pink from the urgent kisses, and went to his neck, mouthing his way up to his ear, and clamping onto the lobe with just enough pressure to make him suck in a breath.

“I want you to turn around.” He whispered right in his ear and Alec moaned his cock now beginning to throb at the thought of what was coming next. Soreness be damned, he’d stand up for the next week if he had to. No way he was saying no to this. 

He turned in Magnus’ arms, where he had him trapped between them and faced the glass. He turned his head so his cheek was on the now warm surface and put his hand up, palms flat beside his head. Magnus kissed and nipped his way across his shoulders, making him bite his lower lip, as soft sounds of deep seated pleasure began to boil from deep within his being. 

He closed his eyes, concentrating on the sensation of that talented mouth with its teeth and hot tongue traveling down his spine from neck to the sway of his lower back. Magnus’ hands were dragging down his ribs as he went, before he made it to the top of his ass, where they gripped his hips, fingers digging into his skin and making him feel like he was being electrocuted.

He gasped and jerked a little at the sharp little nips over the swell of each of his glutes, his iron hard erection now thrusting forward trapped against the glass of the shower screen. When he felt Magnus gently starting to spread his cheeks open, he swore under his breath, hoping to god he could stay upright.   
He widened his stance, and then his eyes flew open as he felt that familiar firm heat lapping around his entrance. Fuck, he was gonna hit the floor at any second, he was sure of it. 

He strained his neck as far as he could to try to see what he knew would be the hottest sight ever but couldn’t get around far enough. He had to let his imagination fill in the gaps from the slurping wet sounds that where coming from behind him. He couldn’t help the way his muscles contracted as he felt the warm little snake enter him, his brain starting to feel like it was being scrambled. 

He began to press back into Magnus’ face, moaning continuously now, his hands fisted against the shower screen. His cock was aching for the orgasm that was building deep inside his soul and he knew it wasn’t going to be long before he fired against the glass.

He was fast reaching the point of no return, when Magnus suddenly withdrew his ministrations and replaced his tongue with the blunt head of his hardness. Alec was so loose and ready for him, he sunk straight in, Magnus’ sigh of pleasure joining his own. 

He felt his teeth on the muscle of his shoulder, as if he was assuring his compliance to stay where he was, and he felt him starting to work in and out of his body, in slow, easy drags. The only thing bad about the situation to Alec’s way of thinking was that he wished to god he could see his face before his and take his mouth as he felt that racing build up within him. 

Magnus worked him harder, and he could tell that he was chasing his own climax as his grunts rumbled from his chest where it was pressed against his back. Alec’s lips parted and his cries of pleasure met his, as his body began to tighten around the wide girth of him.

Suddenly, he was there, right on the precipice of coming, and coming hard. 

“Yeeeessss, fffuuuccck, Magnusssss.” He breathed as he was pounded against the glass, hard and strong. He felt his whole body readying itself for the impact. 

“Urghhh!” Magnus cried out loudly, the sound reverberating off the glass cube and he bite down hard on the bunched muscles, sucking the skin into his mouth as he withdrew one last time before ramming into him with full force, hitting something deep within his core and making him explode.

Alec’s eyes flew wide as he began to shatter, time stood still for a few breathtaking seconds before it all came smashing down around him and through him with a blinding blast of pleasure. His head went back and his mouth was open as his own near screams of ecstasy tore through him like a runaway train.   
Over and over again he felt his body grabbing Magnus’ with a vice like grip, as if it was milking him for every last drop of the fluid heat that was being pumped into him. Fuck, why didn’t they have handles in showers? Alec ‘s legs shook from the exertion needed to stay standing. 

A knock.

“Magnus? Are you alright?” 

“Oh fuck.” Magnus said tightly from where he was laying against Alec’s back. 

Alec’s post orgasmic brain fought to try to make sense out of what had just occurred. 

Another knock.

“Magnus?” 

This time, the voice, which somewhere in the far reaches of Alec’s foggy thoughts, registered it as being owned by Raphael, was this time accompanied by a rattle of the door handle. From what seemed a great distance away, something was telling him to wake up and keep quiet. 

He felt Magnus lift his head. “Yes, I’m in here.” He called out. Magnus made a noise of disgust at himself under his breath at stating the obvious to a worried sounding Raphael on the other side of the door. 

“Are you okay? Why is the door locked?” 

Alec was still jammed against the glass, chest working to regulate his breathing as quietly as he could, and he could still feel Magnus filling him and as yet giving no sign of leaving. Magnus kissed him and he heard a giggle. Alec was slowly returning to reality and with it, the realisation of the situation they were in.

FUCK!!!

“Magnus! How the hell is this in any way amusing? How am I going to get out of here without him knowing now?” Alec hissed under his breath, his heart now racing for a whole new set of reasons, and none of them pleasurable. 

“It’s fine, baby, don’t worry. I’ll go out and take him into my work room. You can get out then.” He said, starting to slide from him. In any other circumstance, Alec would have been sorry to feel him leaving his body, but he was way too worried about the huge risk of detection to get all sappy about things. 

He turned around and Magnus grinned up at him, kissed him sweetly, and then got out of the shower, wrapping himself in one of the large white towels that hung beside the screen.

Alec quickly turned off the water, and tried to gather his wits enough to help him get out of this as painlessly as possible. He turned to see Magnus reaching for the door, and he positioned himself so that he wouldn’t be visible when he opened it. He watched him blow a kiss and give him a saucy wink as he turned the knob and went out. How could he be this relaxed about things?

As soon as the door closed again, he quickly dried off, wrapped the towel firmly around his waist and then went to the door, pressing his ear to it, trying to hear when it might be safe for him to leave the bathroom. 

He could hear Magnus and Raphael talking from what sounded like the end of the hall way near Magnus’ room. He couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, Magnus’ penthouse had very thick doors, but he could tell from his voice, Magnus was keeping things light where his PA was sounding troubled. Alec offered up a silent prayer that he hadn’t come to the door until after they had filled the room with the sounds of their joint climaxes. It was all fun and games until someone gets fired for sleeping with the client he’d been hired to protect.

A minute later, he heard the voices trailing off and the sound of a door closing, in what he hoped was the direction of what Magnus had unwittingly revealed to be his work room. He began to think about what that might entail and also why he still wasn’t privy to what went on in there, but he knew he had to focus on getting back to his room and getting dressed before anyone else turned up. 

He waited another minute before cracking the door open just an inch, and keening his ears for any possible hint of another employee making an appearance, but all remained silent. Magnus must of done as he had told him; he widen the opening and shoved his head through, looking both ways before finally sprinting for his bedroom. 

He made it in and closed the door, giving a relieved sigh as he closed it behind him as quietly as he could. It wasn’t until he was almost fully dressed, that he remembered his clothes from the day before, now laying in a heap on Magnus’ bedroom floor. He winced. Shit! Please don’t let him take Raphael in there so he could see them. 

He knew he had to come up with a plausible excuse for his absence in case Raphael had realised he wasn’t where he should be. He forced his still post orgasmic brain to work with as much clarity as it was capable of and came up with the scenario that he had been out checking the building security.

He took in a deep breath and then slowly and silently opened the door and, hearing no one around, he slipped out and into the kitchen then out through to the front door. He put his hand on the knob and turned it as slowly and quietly as he could in case Magnus had brought Raphael back out of his work room.   
He braced himself for any possible sounds that it might make and then pulled it towards him and started to go out. 

And ran straight into Margaret. 

Alec was just as surprised as she was and he bit his tongue to stop from letting out the yelp that had made it all the way to the top of his throat before he halted its escape. 

“Sorry! Geez, I really wasn’t………” He started to apologize. Margret gave him a motherly look. 

“It’s find Alec, no harm done.” She creased her brow slightly. “Is everything alright? You looked a little on edge this morning.”

The woman never missed anything. 

“Yeah, yeah, it’s all good. I was just, ah, going out to check on things. You know, around the building.” Alec said, trying to keep his voice down and trying to edge his was out side so there was less chance of being heard. Then the sound of a door opening and closing was heard inside the penthouse, along with Magnus and Raphael talking. Alec’s nerves fired up. 

“Well better get onto it. Sorry, once again.” He said, taking a furtive look behind the perplexed house keeper.

Before Margaret could say anything further, he headed for the elevator and pushed the button. Thankfully, something was on his side and the doors slid back straight away and he got in and pushed the lobby button. 

When the doors closed once more, Alec slumped against the side wall. Jesus, what a mess. And all because he broke the rules. He felt his blood pressure lowering to a safer level as he closed his eyes for a few minutes. This couldn’t keep happening, it was way too risky. The whole situation was making him feel out of control, something he wasn’t used to at all. 

He’d always been a stickler for rules, followed them to the letter. He liked knowing where the boundaries where, that there would be no surprises. But all it had taken was one man, one, wonderful, sexy, gorgeous man, and he was colouring outside the lines big time. And the thing that got to him the most about it was, he liked it. 

Alec smiled to himself, as he watched the lift counting down to its destination. Breaking the rules was starting to become addictive. He really was starting to get used to the little rush it gave him each time he allowed himself to think about it. Alec Lightwood, rebel, who knew he would be capable of such a thing. 

The doors of the lift dinged open and he got out even before he was certain of exactly what he was doing down here in the first place. He wiped the self satisfies grin from his face and tried to remember what he should have been looking like in case the concierge took notice of him. What was he thinking? Of course the guy was going to look twice. He never came down here like this at six in the morning. 

Alec’s luck seemed to be holding for a change because when he looked towards the desk, it was unattended. The old Alec would of gone looking for the guy and chewed him out for not being where he should be but this morning, seeing the empty chair made him feel like he’d dodged a bullet. He turned back and got in the lift again, and headed back to the penthouse. 

By the time he had arrived at the front door again, he was pretty confident that his alibi would hold up and there would be no reason for Raphael to doubt his whereabouts. 

How wrong could someone be?

He let himself in and headed for the kitchen and the sound of breakfast under way. Good, nerves had given him an appetite.   
Magnus was sitting at the table, Raphael was in the chair opposite. He looked up at him from over the rim of his coffee cup. 

“Good morning, Alec.” He said, in the smooth tone that his voice always had. 

“Morning.” Alec replied, taking the offered cup from Margaret who was giving him a small knowing smile. He pretended that he hadn’t noticed. 

“You were out this morning?” Raphael said. Because Magnus was sitting slightly behind him, thankfully he didn’t see him give Alec a flirty wink and a brilliant smile, as he took a mouthful of muffin. 

Somewhere in the back of Alec’s mind, he made a note of the fact that this morning was the first time he’d seen Magnus eat anything more than yoghurt and juice. Maybe his energy had been depleted from their previous night together as well. He willed himself not to blush from the thought.

“Yeah, just checking things out.” Alec said, filling a plate with pancakes, sausage and bacon. It all look really good. He made sure he took the empty chair next to Magnus, hoping he was looking as casual about it as he was trying to. 

Raphael regarded him from the other side of the table. “Not something you usually do?”

Alec felt his skin prickling. Keep a lid on it, he thought to himself. Why would he suspect anything? But then again, he had no idea what Magnus might of said to him. He was going into this conversation blind and suddenly, being a rule breaker wasn’t so much fun anymore. 

“Yeah, haven’t done a building check for a few days so I thought I’d better do it.” Raphael gave a nod of agreement. Then went quiet. 

The three of them all retreated back to their own thoughts, well, Raphael and Alec did, Magnus, it seemed, was hell bent on stirring things up. Alec had just taken a mouthful of food, his mind in a torrent of thoughts about how Raphael might or might not be reacting, when he felt a gentle squeeze on his upper thigh.   
His breakfast had suddenly turned into a solid ball of something inedible and he half coughed, half gagged. 

“Alexander, are you alright?” Magnus looked at him with what he was sure was mock concern. He knew very well what he’d just done. 

Alec chewed mechanically until he could swallow safely and with a somewhat strained voice he managed to get out a “I’m fine.” He took a mouthful of coffee.

“A strong gag reflex can be a problem.” 

Alec swallowed his coffee and felt it burn down every inch of his throat. Was he serious? Was he trying to get them caught?

Alec’s eyes flickered to Raphael whose expression at Magnus’ very inappropriate remark was barely noticeable, but it was there. He felt Magnus give his thigh another squeeze and move his hand a little further up. Sweet Jesus, the guy was going to get him hard and that was going to be way too difficult to try to explain away. 

Alec chanced another mouthful of food. The silence was deafening at this point. He wished someone would say something.

“So, I didn’t think they predicted rain for today.” Raphael said, offhandedly. He sipped his coffee like it was a conversation they had every morning. 

Alec felt a little thrown. He was talking about the weather? At least it broke the silence, however random it sounded.

Magnus turned to look out through the slightly parted drapes at the balcony doors and then frowning looked back to his friend. 

“They did? But it’s dry out there.”

“Well it is now. But there must have been a brief shower before I came. I mean, how else would Alec’s hair be so wet that it’s been dripping onto his collar after doing a security check?” 

Alec felt the blood drain from his face and dropped his fork on his plate with a clatter. Raphael had been fishing for answers and Magnus had taken the bait. Hook, line and sinker. The thing was, now Alec felt it was up to him to try to rescue them both. His eyes shifted between Magnus and Raphael; Magnus sat clutching the glass of juice like a life raft, and Raphael was giving him a look of expectation as if he was saying, “okay, get out of that one, Lightwood.”   
Think quick, idiot and make it believable. What came out was unexpected even to himself.

“I’d just gotten out of the shower, I mustn’t of dried my hair.” 

Brilliant, why don’t you just tell him you had sex with his boss and be done with it?

“Oh? But Magnus was in the bathroom when I came.” 

Another shot fired over the deck. 

Alec could just see Magnus’ eyes going back and forth between them, like he was watching a tennis match. He could feel the tingle of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. He decided on the old reliable offensive come back.

“So?”

“So, either you two have gotten a whole lot closer or there’s a water shortage in the building that I don’t know about that you have to share a shower now.” 

He had cut so close to the truth that Alec almost chocked on his own air supply. Why wasn’t Magnus jumping into this?

“Exactly what are you implying, Raphael?” Magnus said sternly, fixing his PA with a lethal looking stare. Thank god for that. Welcome to the party, Magnus, better late than never. He knew anything Magnus said to him would carry more credibility than what he could say. Raphael stilled a little. 

“You have to understand how it looked from my point of view, Magnus. I come in and hear those painful noises coming from the bathroom and…………..” 

“And what? You immediately presumed I’ve somehow managed to seduce my bodyguard and was fucking him in the shower? I suppose we screwed all last night as well, and as for the noises, I do occasionally like to belt out the odd show tune in the shower. Is my singing really that god awful that I sounded like I was in pain? Wait, don’t answer that.” Magnus held up a finger. 

If he had thought he could get away with it without looking totally ridiculous, Alec would of crawled under the table at that point. Fuck! He couldn’t believe that he had told Raphael essentially exactly what they had been doing for the last twelve hours and the crazy thing was, the guy now had a face like a kicked dog. 

“Yes, well, when you say it like that, it does sound a bit farfetched.” Raphael said, quietly, and trying to look apologetically at a still glaring Magnus.

Alec tried to hide behind his coffee cup even though there was nothing left in it. If Magnus ever got sick of being a magician, then he should take up acting. That was an Oscar award winning performance if ever there was one. 

“Farfetched? Ha, it was out there like freakin’ Pluto.” Magnus concluded, and at the same time, shifted another few inches further up Alec’s thigh where he now rested right against the head of his dick. He felt it twitch and hoped to god Magnus wouldn’t go any higher. 

“Please excuse me if I made you feel uncomfortable, Alec. Clearly I’ve jumped to conclusions.” Raphael said, addressing him. 

“It’s fine. I can see where you might think something like that. It wouldn’t be hard.” The barely disguised snort of strangled laughter that came from Magnus had Alec and Raphael both looking at him. He started trying to cover it up with coughing and Alec wanted to gag him right then and there. 

“I think we should get started with the day, don’t you?” Raphael said, clearing his throat and standing up from the table. 

Work, yes, work sounded good right now. Alec got up quickly as well, afraid that when the PA was standing, he’d be able to see where Magnus’ hand was. Magnus waited until Raphael had his back to them before he gave Alec a pouty look of disappointment.


	11. Chapter 11

The morning passed quickly, and Magnus had spent much of it in his work room. After lunch, Alec had gone into his bedroom to file his weekly report. He took his lap top from the small table and sat it on the bed and then, sitting cross legged on the covers, he started to work. 

He started off just fine, typing away, putting in as much detail as possible, but after a few minutes, he found his mind beginning to wander towards thoughts of the night before. It had been so much better than he had ever hoped it would be for his first time with another man. Magnus was a wonderful and gentle lover and he wondered if there might be more of the same tonight. 

Sleeping next to a warm body, a particularly hot, well-toned one, was something he could feel himself getting used to very easily. There wasn’t anything he didn’t love about the entire experience;

The smooth firm surface of that beautiful golden skin, that made him think about warm honey, the earthy exotic scent that seemed to permeate from his pores and send him foggy headed and heavy limbed, the perfection of those dusky pink lips, and especially, the way they felt on his. He loved feeling the warmth radiating from Magnus’ body to his, he was sure he could feel it flowing through him, heating his insides like an internal hug. 

He hadn’t realised that he was sitting there staring blankly at the screen with a goofy smile on his face when he felt two strong arms going around his shoulders. He startled a little and whipped around to see Magnus pressed against his back. 

“You looked a million miles away just then. But it was somewhere happy. Why didn’t you take me with you?” He grumbled, using his weight to push him sideways onto the bed. Alec rolled onto his back and looked up into his handsome face. 

“I did. You were the reason I was there in the first place.” He reached up his hands and took his face in them and pulled him down, kissing him softly. 

“Hmmmm, I still can’t believe you have never kissed anyone before cause you’re very good at it.” Magnus hummed pulling back just enough to be able to form the words. Alec smiled and felt his face colouring. 

“It just took the right person to show me how, I guess,” He strained his neck to look towards the door. “I hope you locked that.” He gave a nod towards it. 

“I would of, but it doesn’t have one.” Magnus murmured, putting small kisses along his jaw line. Alec swore under his breath and struggled to get up but Magnus pushed him back down.

“It’s okay, I sent Raphael out on an errand, he’ll be gone for at least an hour. Do you know what I can do to you in an hour?” Alec looked into those twinkling dark orbs and the impish grin and couldn’t help smiling back. 

“I can just imagine. But hey, take it easy on me, okay? I’m a beginner at this.” 

Magnus giggled. “Oh in what way?” 

He took Alec’s mouth with wild abandon, forcing it wide and then when he heard the soft moan that came from deep down in his being, he filled it with his tongue, caressing his with movements that brought Alec’s heart rate up to dangerous levels and made his cock harden in seconds. 

“God I love how responsive you are.” Magnus breathed, pulling back enough so that he could look down into Alec’s heavy lidded hazel eyes and flushed face.  
“All your fault.” Alec half growled and reached up to pull his head back down for more.

Magnus complied with his demands and positioned himself so that now he was straddling Alec’s waist, his bent thighs pressed snuggly into his sides, so he had no where to go. Not that he wanted to.

He broke the kiss, leaving Alec chasing those soft pink lips, and sat back, right over his now throbbing erection. Alec grunted and put his hands on Magnus’ thighs, digging his fingers into his tight muscles.

Magnus sucked him his bottom lip, his brow slightly creased in concentration, and began to move back and forth over the hard bulge in his pants. Alec groaned and met each movement with a thrust of his hips. The friction from the combination of the material of his clothes and the pressure that magnus was asserting, was turning his already foggy brain to mush. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, while Magnus began to undo the buttons of his shirt, was the thought about how they shouldn’t be doing this when Raphael could walk in at any minute, but there was something about the possibility of getting caught and knowing that what they were doing was really wrong, turned him on even more. 

Suddenly, all Alec wanted was skin to skin contact with this man, like his life depended on it. His hands went to the waistband of Magnus’ pants and began to undo them, his urgency making him fumble. Magnus manoeuvred himself around to get off his unwanted clothing, his refusal to completely lose contact throughout the process, made for a rather comical scene and after twisting and turning and several gravity defying moves, the troublesome garment found its way on the floor beside the bed.

As needy as they both were, it didn’t stop Magnus from collapsing onto Alec’s chest as they both lay together in a fit of giggles. When they had calmed down, Magnus leaned up on Alec’s chest smiling.

“You have the cutest giggles, handsome, that I’ve ever heard.” Alec felt his face heating. No one had ever told him that before. Alec rolled his eyes and tried to look annoyed at the remark, but he knew he was blushing so hard that he could feel his ears burning.

“Stop.” He said, trying to halt the way his lips were curving as he said it. Magnus leaned up and looked down at him.

“Stop what? Stop this?” He spread his hands out over each of Alec’s firm pecs, his fingers sifting through the light smattering of dark hair that covered them. Fire blazed within him and he thrust his hips against Magnus’ ass where his now throbbing cock was wedged between his butt cheeks.

“Or stopped this.” His voice was at least another octave lower as he uttered the words and it made Alec want to shiver in delight, before Magnus held his gaze with more raw need than he would of ever thought possible and slowly began to grind down along his length. 

Alec cried out as he felt like his brain was about to explode. God he was so close to orgasm now it wasn’t funny, and he had no idea how it had gone from practically zero to sixty in less than a minute. 

When Magnus had wrestled out of his pants, he had left his boxers on for some unknown reason and now they were acting like some kind of impervious barrier, the material unmistakably tented with his arousal. Just that sight alone was enough to make Alec want to destroy the moment and come. Magnus leaned down, taking his mouth hard and any further thoughts went flying out of his head, leaving only one, and that was to try to hang on to his climax for as long as he could.

In that next second, however, somewhere in the foggy, reaches of his mind, he heard a soft click and then somehow miraculously, his pulsing shaft was gliding back and forth between Magnus’ tight glutes, his own pants had vanished. 

Stars shot across his vision and he knew he couldn’t hold back any more and with a strangled moan that was being muffled by a hot wet tongue, he felt himself filling Magnus’ cleft with liquid heat.

He was still riding the waves of his release when Magnus cried out and fell forward, plastering himself against Alec’s chest, adding to the sticky dampness. Alec fought to catch his breath and regain what was left of his scattered wits but loving the sensation of Magnus’ weight on his body.

He was just starting to think about the fact that somehow his pants had seemingly vanished along with Magnus’ underwear, when the sound of the front door being shut came to them. 

“Fuck! Magnus! Quick! Get off, that must be Raphael!” Alec began struggling to try to get out from underneath him. Magnus wasn’t in any hurry to move though.

“Ha, I thought he’d be gone for at least another ten minutes. He must have taken the short route.” Magnus said, leaning up on Alec’s chest, looking thoughtful. Alec, however, was very close to panicking. 

“Magnus! You have to get up and go! What if he comes in here? That door isn’t locked, I’ll be fired on the spot, for Christ’s sake.” 

“Calm down, my love. To start with, if I know Raphael, He’ll go looking for me before he comes in here, and if the door is closed then he’ll knock, he wouldn’t just walk in. And I can assure you, you won’t be fired. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the boss, not Raphael, and I have no intentions of letting you go anywhere.”

Magnus bent down and kissed him softly before he started to get off him. 

As much as Alec was still worried about Raphael walking in, in spite of Magnus’ assurance that he wouldn’t, he missed the feel of his weight on him.   
He got to his feet, though, and found his underwear and pants, which had mysteriously made it to the floor, and pulled them on as quickly as he could. Magnus was doing up his zipper, when they both heard footsteps walk passed the closed door. Maybe he was right; Raphael sounded like he was headed for his room.   
Magnus gave Alec a raised eyebrow look, and said, “See?” softly before he pushed him up against the wall near the door and kissed him soundly. 

“I want us to have dinner together tonight, and then go out to a club someplace.” He whispered in Alec’s ear as his lips left his and brushed the top of his jaw.

They heard Raphael knock on his bedroom door and call his name, before he waited a few seconds and the way his footsteps sounded, he went to Magnus’ work room and repeated his enquiry.

Alec knew the next place he’d try would be his door, the very one they were standing beside.

Magnus pressed into him and nibbled along his jaw line. His crotch gently but firmly grinding into his own and he had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from moaning. 

“Say yes, Alexander.” Magnus breathed before he took his mouth again, this time harder and wider than before. 

Alec made a soft noise in his throat as he clung to his new boyfriend, loving the way he could feel his muscular back working beneath his shirt. God it was turning him on so bad right now and he could feel his thoughts starting to drift once more. 

Purposeful footsteps were getting closer and Alec jumped when he heard and felt the knock on the door not two feet beside his head.  
“Alec? Are you there?” Raphael said from the other side. 

Alec was about to open his mouth to answer, when Magnus covered it with his own. He gave a muffled grunt and tried to break free. 

Another knock, this one a little louder. “Alec?”

He turned his head, breaking the lip lock and swallowed, trying to get his thoughts in order before he answered him, but Magnus was determined to make this difficult. He lowered a hand and began rubbing at the already hard bulge in the front of his pants and he almost lost it and went to his knees. He gave Magnus a pleading look.

“Say yes, and I’ll stop. Maybe.” Magnus whispered to him. Alec felt he had no choice in the matter.

“Okay, yes, we’ll go out. God, stop, please.” He hissed as quietly as he could. Magnus beamed at him and then after giving him a soft peck, he let him go and backed off.

“Alec? Did Magnus come in there with you? I can’t find him.” 

The double meaning to Raphael’s words weren’t lost on Alec, and he looked at Magnus who was holding a hand over his mouth to stifle a giggle. He was a big help. Alec glared at him, but the laughter that shone in his eyes was making the corners of mouth twitch up.

Alec put a finger up to his lips to signal his new boyfriend to keep quiet and he took in a deep breath and put his hand on the door knob. Magnus took his place on the wall behind it.

When Alec opened the door, Raphael had a hand raised about to knock for a third time.   
“I was beginning to think everyone had disappeared.” Raphael told him, lowering his arm.   
Alec had taught himself to stay cool in sticky situations, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t right on the edge of his nerves now. 

“Sorry, I had ear buds in and didn’t hear the door. What’s up?” He silently gave himself kudos for coming up with the ear bud excuse on the spot.

“You haven’t seen Magnus, have you? I haven’t seen him since I came back.” 

“Ah, no, I think he said something about going into his work room?” He hoped by saying that, he hadn’t made thing difficult for Magnus. 

He knew Raphael had already knocked on that door before he came to his. From behind him, Alec heard a snap and felt a disturbance in the air, as if someone had blown across the back of his neck. It felt like something cold had just dripped down his spine and he shivered.

Raphael frowned at him. “Are you alright?” 

“Yes, of course, why wouldn’t I be?” 

The man gave him a dubious look before he turned back towards the end of the hall and started to walk off. Alec shut the door and let out a heavy breath. It was a minute later that he realised that Magnus wasn’t standing behind the door. 

“Magnus?” He whispered into the room, looking around. Silence was his only answer. Alec began searching, but the room wasn’t that big and there were only a few places able to hide a full-grown man, and he wasn’t in any of the them. 

Alec scratched his head and stared at the door. How the hell had he just vanished like that? Was there a secret door he didn’t know about? He knew Magnus was a magician, but even good ones needed special props to pull off a disappearing act. Didn’t they?

He heard the faint sound of Raphael knocking on Magnus’ work room door and Alec found himself creeping to the door and opening it a crack, just enough to be able to hear what was going on. 

Raphael had just knocked again, and Alec had just begun to berate himself for being ridiculous when the sound of the door opening came from down the hallway.

“Raph, were you looking for me?” 

Alec mouth dropped open like a landed fish. How was that even possible? 

Raphael, however, just sounded relieved that he had finally located his boss. “Why didn’t you answer me before?” 

“I was working. You know how I get when I’m concentrating on something new.” 

“Yes, I do. I just wanted to tell you that I did everything that you ask me to and everything is organised.” 

“Great, thanks a lot. Listen, can you do me one more favour? Tell Meliorn that I’ll be needing the car about six this evening.” 

“Why? What are you doing?”

“It’s the night before a show, I just want to go out and let off some steam. I’m meeting some of the crew for dinner.”

“Is that wise, when there’s someone running around trying to harm you?” 

“Alexander will be with me, and whoever it is hasn’t tried anything since the light episode. I think they might have given up. Besides, I’m not letting some misguided person ruin my fun.” 

“Just because they haven’t tried anything in the past few days, doesn’t mean that they have given up. Misguided or not, you’re still in danger until we can find out who it is. I’ll come with you, just to be sure.”

“No! no, don’t be silly. I’ll be in a very public restaurant and with my body guard, if anyone tries to get to me, they deserve the pounding that Alexander will surely give them. Don’t worry, have the night off.”

“I don’t think….”

“I insist. You’ve been working flat out for the last few months to get this show up and running. You deserve it.” 

Alec didn’t need to see Magnus’ face to hear, even at this distance, that he was buttering Raphael up to dissuade him from any further talk of joining him tonight. He held his breath, waiting to hear the PA’s answer.

“Well, if you’re sure.”

“I am. Right, back to it then.” 

Alec heard the door close and he took a relieved breath out. He softly closed the door, momentarily forgetting any further thoughts on Magnus’ disappearing act. He was just glad that the guy had agreed to his request. 

How did you dress for your very first official date with someone, who happened to be your boss, while pretending that it wasn’t a date at all, but you still wanted to look good doing it? This was the dilemma that Alec faced about an hour before they were due to leave.

Luckily, he’d brought his good set of clothes, but even then, he still didn’t look all that different than he did each day for work. He hadn’t seen Magnus for the rest of the afternoon which was probably good, all things considered. He just hoped that he was the right mix of first date that wasn’t a date and body guard that you didn’t want to mess with. Life got extremely complicated when you started falling for your client, in more ways than one. 

He gave himself the once over for the final time before going out the door. Dark blue shirt, and matching pants and black lace ups, conservative but safe. 

Magnus would probably say boring, but not everyone had the guts to wear bright colours and make bold fashion choices. Alec had spent a life time of blending into the background, being a face in the crowd. He didn’t know how to be anything else. It was a terrifying possibility to him that if he and Magnus did start to date in earnest, that he would have to share the spotlight with him. He didn’t quite know what to think of that just yet.

He went out into the kitchen and saw the man in question waiting for him. One look at him and Alec knew that Magnus was the stars to his night sky. He was dressed in a black coat, that nipped in at the waist, silver studs adorned the shoulders, accentuating their width and the knee length did the same for his height.  
His shirt was a deep red and was hidden under an embossed looking waistcoat. Gold chains encircled his neck and hung as far as the second button, the shirt front was open until then as well, showing just enough of that sexy smooth chest to be teasing. His slim hips and toned thighs were clad in a pair of tight fitting black jeans which clung to his calves before ending in a pair of pointed toe black boots that had a sliver buckle in each ankle. He guy was stunning, and Alec’s first instinct was to rush over to him and take him in his arms and kiss the hell out of him. But of course, that wasn’t an option just now. 

He saw Magnus’ eyes go from his head to his toes and apart from an almost imperceptible twerk of one corner of that pretty mouth of his, he gave no other sign of approval or disapproval at his choice of clothing for the night. 

“Alexander, you’re looking very….. business like this evening. Shall we go? We don’t want to waist time.” Magnus said, preparing to head for the front door. 

Raphael was still there, why, Alec had no idea. He usually was gone by now but tonight, just to make life interesting, he’d decided to stay longer than normal.   
“You didn’t tell me who it was that you’re meeting up with. Anyone I know?” Alec got the sense that he was fishing for information. Did he suspect something? He hoped not, or this might be a first and last date all in one hit. 

“Just a few of the crew. I thought since they have been working so hard and helped me after the whole falling light incident that it was the least I could do to say thank you.” Magnus told him, casually and he proceeded to rattle off a few names that Alec recognised. He just hoped and preyed that if they got away with this, that Raphael wouldn’t turn into Sherlock Holmes and start his own investigation. 

“Well, I hope you have a good evening. I’ll see you tomorrow, Magnus. Alec.” Raphael gave him a nod and Alec did the same in return and began following Magnus out. 

It wasn’t until they were in the entrance lobby, waiting for the elevator that either of them said anything. Alec couldn’t help asking Magnus his opinion of Raphael’s behaviour. 

“Do you think he thinks there’s something going on? Like, you know, with us?” 

The doors opened, 34and they got in, Magnus pressing the button for the car park.

“No, not really. I think he feels like he should have been invited, but apart from that, I think we’re in the clear,” Magnus said to him with a smile. 

There was something about the way he was looking at him that was making him feel uncomfortable. “You know, even though you look like a school principal or something, I still want to rip those clothes off your body and suck you dry.” 

He ran the tip of his tongue around the outline of his lips and Alec gave the silver railing on the side wall of the lift a death grip. He was acutely aware of the security cameras and after the last time they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, it wasn’t worth taking the risk to disconnect them again. 

“I wish you wouldn’t say that stuff to me when I can’t touch you yet.” He scolded Magnus, and he felt his cock beginning to stiffen. Not helpful. Magnus looked very pleased with himself, however, and gave him a dirty grin. The wise ass had very conveniently positioned himself, so his back was to the camera. 

“Why is that, baby? Don’t you want to think about how good it would feel if I could kneel before you, undo those unfashionable pants and pull them down and those cute little boxers of yours and take out that gorgeous dick and then wrap my lips around its big hot head and curl my tongue underneath, before I take you down my throat. Feeling every beautiful inch of you gliding into me, slowly, wetly.”

“Jesus, Magnus, stop.” Alec hissed through gritted teeth and clenched jaw. He’d never had his will power tested o much as since he’d been with this guy. What was he trying to do? Make him give in and attack him right there and then and give the two security guards watching the monitors something to make them choke on their cups of coffee? 

He could feel his erection, now hard and strong, pushing against the inside of his zipper and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it without looking suspicious as he tried to focus his mind elsewhere, like some nature documentary or something, anything but Magnus’ suggestion. 

“Am I making things hard for you, handsome?” Magnus said, in mock concern, his voice deep and smooth and adding to Alec’s discomfort. “Ha, yeah, I can see that I am. Don’t worry, I have the perfect remedy for swelling like that. Allow me to show it to you when we get in the car.” 

Alec would have folded to the floor in that moment except the elevator stopped with a small jerk and the doors slid open. Meliorn stood opposite them, waiting patiently. Alec centred himself and put a hand on Magnus’ upper arm as a warning not to leave the lift before he made sure everything was clear.

He ignored the slight hum he heard as he moved passed him and out into the cold badly lit cavern of the concrete garage. For once, he was glad of the freshness, not that it was doing much good. How the hell could the guy get him this horny by just talking to him and make him stay that way? Magnus was magic in many ways, it seemed. 

After deeming the parking lot secure, he looked at Magnus and motioned for him to go to the car. Meliorn opened the back door and he slid inside, Alec following him. He noticed that the heavily tinted privacy screen was already in place. 

Magnus fixed him with a heated look that made his cheeks flame and his still hardened cock twitch as Meliocrn got in behind the wheel and started the car. They hadn’t even gotten out of the garage before Magnus was onto him.

One minute he was sitting beside him the next he was straddling his lap, mouth crashing down onto his, the kiss robbing him of breath and senses. Alec’s first thought was to break free but he was too turned on and hard to think sensibly anymore. He groaned into Magnus mouth, the sound swallowed up by the addition of a warm wet tongue, when he felt the hard bulge that was straining inside those tight black pants. 

“whatever I have seems to be contagious. You have the same swelling I have.” He managed to get out when they came up for air. Magnus gave a deep chuckle, sending shocks running down his spine. 

“hmm, so I have, wanna play doctor and get rid of it?” 

There was something so deliciously naughty about the way he said that, Alec was ready to explode right then and there. He pulled him in with his hand going to the back of his neck and kissed him long and hard; now it was time for Magnus to moan and he rutted into Alec’s crotch until he began to see stars behind his closed eyelids.

“I’ve never played doctor before in my life.” He said in a breathy whisper.

“You haven’t? Well, let me educate you, Alexander.” 

Magnus knelt up on the seat, steadying himself with one hand on Alec’s shoulder.

“Undo my pants, and I’ll warn you, you might have to supply some force to bring them down.” 

Alec reached up and undid the button and the zipper and then after a few firm tugs, he decided that the best way to get him out of the painted-on jeans was to peel them off, like an orange.

After a few minutes of gentle rocking and rolling with the movements of the car and applying brute force to the waist band, Magnus let out an audible sigh of relief as his hard on sprung free of the constricting material. The rosy broad head only inches from his face, Alec’s mouth watered at the possibility. 

Magnus smiled down at him and wagged an elegant finger at him.

“Ah, ah, ah, this treatment has to be taken internally. Get out of those pants Mr Lightwood. You need and injection to relieve that swelling.” 

He didn’t have to be asked twice. 

Alec manoeuvred around until he had traded places with Magnus, ridding himself of those pesky pants as quickly as he could, along with his boxers. 

“Now bend over the back of that seat, Mr, and spread ‘em.” 

Alec looked at him in surprise. “Are you serious?” 

“As a heart attack. Do it. We’ve got about another fifteen minutes until we get to the restaurant, traffic allowing.” 

Alec gave a final dubious look at the back seat of the car before he mounted the leather, his head going between the rear window and the back of the seat.   
He flinched a little when he felt slippery wet latex being fitted to his throbbing cock.

“You’re gonna need this, handsome. No reason to ruin the leather. Meliorn would kill me.” Magnus explained before Alec heard him applying one of his own.

A small click was followed by a cool wetness as a gentle hand smeared his entrance in readiness for what was to come. Alec felt a couple of long fingers working him open and after the initial reaction to fight the intrusion to his body, he felt himself relax. Magnus withdrew his hand and he felt the rounded tip of Magnus’ cock pressing against the loosened ring of muscle.

“Open up and say ‘ah’ for me, baby.” Magnus soothed as he began to push his way inside. 

Alec felt his bent legs begin to shake already. “Arghhhh!” He cried as his forehead went down to rest on the buttery leather, his hands gripping either side. Fuck, he felt so full, as the burning stretch started to lessen as his body accommodated his. 

Magnus groaned as he sunk right to his base, his hands grasping the pale flesh of his hips as he began to work in and out of him.

“Urgh! You’re so fucking tight, I love it.” He growled as his movements grew harder and faster. 

Alec felt his orgasm beginning to build with a speed that was robbing him of both sense and the ability to take a decent breath. He could see his pulsing cock, iron hard and deeply coloured, swinging back and forth with each hard thrust he was receiving from behind and he wished to god that he could take it in his hand and work it just as hard but he didn’t think he could let go of the back seat without over balancing with the movement of the car and his quaking legs.   
He began to moan softly, recognising the way his ass was tightening around Magnus’ cock as it nudged at some secret place deep inside him, he was so close now he couldn’t breath any longer. 

All it took for Alec to detonate, was his boyfriend taking his hand off one hip and reaching around to fist his aching member and match his hand to his hips. Alec felt his back arch as his climax ripped through him, and he dug his fingers into the car seat as he pumped hotly over and over into Magnus firm grip. 

“Fuck! Alexander…. I’m…..” Magnus groaned, and he felt his body working at his pulsing erection that was buried deep inside him, pumping hard against his core. 

Alec had no idea how he stayed on his knees for the length of time that he did. He slumped forward, taking Magnus with him who had draped himself over his still contracting ass and bare lower back. 

Somewhere in the swirling vortex of his post orgasmic brain, he remembered that they were shortly arriving at their dinner destination, but he was still too mind blown to even think about moving.

“So, was the treatment successful?” Magnus drawled from where his cheek rested on Alec’s bare skin. At first, Alec couldn’t think of what he meant but then it came to him and he slowly raised his head and smiled.

“Yeah, I think we can say it was. If anything, it worked a little too well.” 

Magnus giggled, kissed him softly on the ridge of his arched spine, and then slowly pulled free of his body. Even though Alec knew that he had to make himself right his clothing and get ready for their dinner date, he wished he could tell him to come back and fill him all over again. 

In the few minutes before they arrived at the restaurant, there was a flurry of activity as Magnus produced a packet of cleansing wipes and helped Alec clean up and dispose of the condoms into a discreet plastic bag, and then they both redressed and sat back in the seat, pressed together, holding hands, fingers laced together. 

The restaurant that Magnus had chosen had obviously been one he’d been to before and could assure their privacy. Alec was probably the star struck one in the place as he recognised quite a few well-known faces in the small intimate setting. 

The place itself was up a small alley way and from the outside, didn’t look anything special but the interior was very elegant but inviting at the same time. At first, he was very self-conscious and nervous but soon settled down and began to let himself enjoy their very first date. 

The food was very good and neither of them had a problem ordering a complete three courses. He found that Magnus couldn’t seem to lose complete contact with him and when he wasn’t reaching over and taking his hand across the table, he was hooking a foot around the back of his leg while the ate. 

Alec had never thought of himself as a romantic before, but something about Magnus’ soft and sappy nature was rubbing off on him. Alec had thought that he would feel extremely out of place and self-conscious being with Magnus out in the open like this but the intimate setting of the restaurant felt like a small safe bubble from the rest of the world and helped by their activities in the car and a couple of glasses of wine, he found himself relaxing a lot more than he had first thought he would. 

While they ate, he swept the room with quick glances, not wanting to look too obvious but at the same time, he wanted to see if they were drawing anyone else’s attention and it didn’t hurt to case the place for any possible signs of trouble. The trouble with that was, his date had caught him doing it. 

“Alexander, you aren’t on the job now and I can assure you, this place is very discreet and secure. I’ve been coming here for a while now and you can see by the other famous faces, they trust them too.” He gave him a soft smile and squeezed his hand. 

Alec couldn’t help feeling a little foolish for acting the way he had but he’d been in the security business a lot longer than he’d been on first dates. It was all brand-new ground to him and slightly terrifying. 

After they had finished their sumptuous meal, Magnus text Meliorn to bring the car so they could head to their next destination. Even though Alec pestered him to say where they were headed, once again, Magnus refused, telling him that he wanted to make it a surprise again. 

Alec rolled his eyes. “Magnus, I’m not great on surprises, you know.” 

Magnus gave a chuckle and took his face in his hands and kissed him long and hard enough that if he had taken him to the other side of the world, he wouldn’t have cared. 

“Oh handsome, you trust me, don’t you?” Those gorgeous deep brown eyes twinkled, reflecting snippets of the city lights from outside the car as they moved through the traffic. Alec sighed, the guy had him absolutely captivated, and it was increasingly apparent to him that he was happy to be under his spell.

“I suppose the sensible side of me should say no, but yes, I do.” He replied, and the twinkle increased, giving his fine featured face the look of a cheeky pixie. Alec wanted to melt. Fuck, could he get any cuter, for god sake? 

If Alec had been doing his job correctly, he would have been looking out the heavy tinted windows at his surroundings, gauging where they were in the city and keeping an eye on the passing traffic, but Magnus had gotten under his skin enough that all he saw was him, and they spent the time smiling softly into each other’s eyes and sharing sweet kisses and gentle touches.

Eventually, after about twenty minutes, Meliorn slowed the car and pulled into a side street before stopping. Alec came out of his sappy haze enough to look where they had ended up and what he saw didn’t please him. 

He could tell from the buildings that they were in the shadier part of town and to add to the concern, they were parked at the beginning of an alleyway. He immediately went back into bodyguard mode and gave Magnus a concerned look.

“Magnus what’s going on? Where is this?”

“Alec, it’s fine. Put your hackles down. We’re perfectly safe, I can assure you. I’ve been here enough to know. When you’re as well-known as I am and want to be yourself for a few hours without the media splashing it all around the papers and magazines the next day, you have to be a little clandestine about where you go.”

“But this doesn’t look….”

“I know, it’s not the nicest part of town, but it’s the most discreet and the club we’re going to is as well. In here, I’m just another patron, nothing else. It’s like Superman’s fortress of solitude but in reverse, if you get my meaning.” He gave him a wide smile before leaning over and kissing him.

Alec still wasn’t sure about all this, but he had very little choice but to trust his date and hope he was right. Meliorn opened the door and Alec got out first, looking around the dimly lit street and alley. Now he was out of the car, he could faintly hear the deep thumping beat of music coming from the other end, along with flashes of coloured light. At least Magnus had been right about there being a club down there. 

Magnus took his hand and began to pull him down the dingey rubbish strewn corridor. Thankfully, it wasn’t very long, and they turned to their left and came opposite a pair of red metal doors that were minus handles with a sign flashing overhead with the name of the club, Secrets, in candy pink neon. Now they were here, the pounding base was almost palpable.

Alec looked at Magnus. “This is it? So how do we get in, there’s no knobs or lock or anything.” 

“Ah, there’s a trick to that.” Magnus said, grinning and reaching his free hand into the pocket of his jacket and bringing out a small plastic card. He swiped the back of it over the door about three quarters of the way up and there was a soft click as it cracked open.

Magnus put the card back inside his pocket before grabbing Alec’s hand and pulling the door open wide enough for them to enter. They walked straight in to a large room, lit only by circles of light that were coming from the floor. It surprised Alec that any light got through at all considering the amount of people that were there. 

Most of the club was taken up with a plush seating area with the far wall occupied by the bar and then a dance floor beyond that. Everything was in deep shades of red and black. The three bar staff who were also dressed in black shirts, wore a type of half mask, that obscured one eye and a cheek, giving them a rather creepy appearance. Jesus, what was this place? Alec thought but then he started noticing the crowd. 

A majority of the people were same sex be it two men or two women. There were a few opposite pairings but there seemed to be a few threesomes as well. Unlike most places when someone new walked in the door, there was no one checking them out or looking them up and down; these people looked to be content to keep to themselves. After the brief glance around the room he gave and recognising some rather famous faces, Alec got the point of why. Secrets indeed. 

“As you can see, we like to keep to ourselves in here. It’s one of the very few places we can be free to show our true colours. I organised a NDA that you will have to sign before we leave, I think you can guess why. Most of these people present a very different face to their adoring fans. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for the truth to get out.”

“Yeah, I get it. I can see where they’re coming from.” Alec said, inclining his head toward Magnus so he could be heard over the music.

 

After getting two drinks from the mysterious bar tenders that were nearly as exotic as the rest of the place was, they took a seat at a free table. Each spot was a padded curved booth that was fitted into a section of a tiered floor. It was obviously designed to push people together and even though he still felt strange being out in public with Magnus, he had to admit, it felt good being able to be close to him like this. 

Magnus looked like he could have been back home on his own sofa. He laid an arm around the back of the seat, pulling Alec into his body and absently trailed his fingers up and down his arm. Alec couldn’t stop the smile from curving his lips. He found himself leaning into him, rubbing against his warmth like a happy cat. It felt way too good to be able to do this to force himself to keep his guard up. It was nice to be able to just let go and relax for once, even though it was against his better judgement. 

They spent the night sipping exotic tasting cocktails and eventually Magnus conned him into getting on the dance floor. Alec had always been way too self-conscious to dance with anybody before, even at family parties but he’d had just enough a of the great tasting drinks to forget about his anxiety. 

They didn’t leave the club until well after two in the morning, Magnus making the decision when he realised that Alec had actually fallen asleep on his shoulder. The brisk night air outside woke him up and they spent the thirty-minute trip home wrapped in each other’s arms, exchanging lazy, happy kisses. 

It wasn’t until they were outside the penthouse door, that Alec was shocked to realise that he’d gone from the club to there without checking their surroundings or looking for possible trouble. The thought went a long way to sobering him up. Night off or not, he still needed to ensure Magnus’ safety. Now more than anything. He sensed his feelings towards the guy growing rapidly and anything which might cut their time together short, left him feeling cold. 

Magnus unlocked the door and pulled him inside, leaning him against the wall. He absently pushed the door closed and then pressed himself against Alec’s body. The reaction was immediate, and Alec groaned softly, feeling his crotch harden. 

“I had the best fucking time with you tonight, handsome.” Magnus whispered to him in the dark hallway. He brushed his lips to his with a feather like touch, and Alec moved forward, wanting more.

“Me too. Too good. I forgot myself.” He confessed, but Magnus gave a soft giggle.

“Oh, there’s no such thing as too good a time, my love. And as for forgetting yourself, I’ll be happy to remind you of who you are.” He plunged his mouth down hard onto his, and Alec’s legs wanted to buckle. God, how could he do this to him, make him brainless and so full of wanting.

“Your mine. That’s who you are. All. Mine.” Magnus said, pulling back just enough to be able to form the words.

Alec moaned softly and let his hands that had been sitting on Magnus’ waist to slide down and cup both cheeks of that sweet tight ass of his. Now it was Magnus’ turn to give out sounds of pure pleasure and he ground his own hardness against him. 

“I want you, so fucking bad.” Alec whispered between gasping kisses.

“I’m all your, baby, come on.” Magnus breathed, and he pulled back, taking Alec by the hand and leading him down the dark hall and in the general direction of Magnus’ room. Magnus kept distracting him with small kisses, adding tiny nips to his bottom lip or an enticing taste of wet tongue. Alec was beginning to think that the nearest flat surface was looking a lot more convenient then all the way to the bedroom. 

By the time they got to the kitchen table, their need had grown too great and Magnus had begun backing Alec up against its edge, his fingers working at undoing the buttons of his shirt. The only sound in the dark room was their deep heavy breathing punctuated by groans of need. 

Magnus gave up on the buttons after he’d only undone about three and pulled the front of the shirt open with a sharp screech of ripping fabric and the tinkle of loose buttons hitting the floor. Alec sighed and closed his eyes as he felt those perfect pink lips in his chest, nuzzling in the soft hair that covered him. 

He braced his hands on the table, his head back in ecstasy as magnus took each disc of his nipples into his mouth and sucked hard, bringing the little rosy bud into a firm peak. Fuck, how he wanted this man. It was so bad now he could practically taste it. 

All of a sudden, the room was filled with light and Alec’s eyes flew open as Magnus’ mouth left his body. What the…..

“So, this must be a full-service job, then. I had no idea that fucking your client was an option. Will we be charged for this or is it just a bonus?”

Alec and Magnus both stilled and looked towards the sound of a familiar voice. 

Raphael was standing in the doorway to the hall the led to Magnus’ bedroom. 

“What the hell are you still doing here, Raphael?” Magnus said, ignoring his question. 

“Let’s just say, I decided to under take a little investigation of my own. Too many things just didn’t add up and I wanted to prove myself wrong about them. I mean, how stupid could I be thinking that the man I hired to ensure the safety of my best friend and employee could be screwing him as well. Oh, and kudos to you Alec. I would never have guessed that you were gay until a few days ago. You hide it well.” Raphael said, the venom dripping off each word. 

Alec went to open his mouth, but Magnus got in a head of him.

“What did you expect him to do, Raphael, have it tattooed on his forehead or something? And you seem to forget that its my money that pays for Alec’s company services, not yours. My private life has nothing to do with you. I don’t care if you’re my best friend or not, Raphael. There are certain aspects of my life that you don’t need to be privy to. This is one of them.” Magnus said, his voice hard and his dark eyes full of anger as he looked at him. 

“Your life is my life, Magnus. It has been for years now. Who’s been there to keep you from straying off the path and keeping you on track for your success? Who was it that made those random whores you were dragging home there for a while disappear, so they didn’t give you any bad press and destroy your fledgling career? Me, Magnus. It was me. And now you want to fuck the help? Jesus, Magnus, what were you thinking? If this gets out, it could be disastrous for you.” Raphael’s voice began to rise. 

Alec didn’t know what to say. What could he say, anyway? He sat up and pulled his gaping shirt across his chest. This was it. He’d fucked up badly and now along with potentially ruining Magnus’ career, he had wrecked his own as well.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass who you are Raphael. You have no right to speak to me like this. I didn’t intentionally set out to be with Alec, but we were drawn together. He brings me happiness and makes me feel good. I don’t care how he came to be in my life only that he is here now. I hardly think falling for someone could be so dire. Perhaps if you had ever felt anything similar you’d understand.” Magnus growled at him. Alec had never seen Magnus so angry before. 

“He was hired to keep you safe, Magnus. Have you forgotten that someone has repeatedly tried to kill you in the last few months? You needed a body guard not another sycophantic lover.” 

Alec watched as Magnus seem to stiffen and square his shoulders. Somehow, he was in front of Raphael in an instant and there was a resounding crack as his hand connected with the PA’s cheek. It was forceful enough that Raphael’s head was pushed sideways. He put a hand up to the growing red mark and glared at him.

“Don’t you ever, EVER say that to me again about Alec. He’s as far from being that as it can get. You are my friend and I love you, Raphael and I’ll always be grateful for everything you’ve done for me, but I’m not your child that you can tell who I can and can’t be with. That’s my decision. I think you should go. We’ll discuss this in the morning when you’ve had a chance to cool down.” Magnus said, and he stepped back.

“Yeah. Same to you, Magnus. Clearly you two had other things on your mind when you came in. But I’ll ask you this, does he know the whole truth about you? This man that you have taken into your bed and your life, have you told him everything? Do you trust him enough to tell him everything about yourself?” Raphael began to walk away, and he fixed Alec with a hard look as he passed him.

“You might not be as important to him as you think, Lightwood. See you tomorrow.” Alec watched him with wide eyes as he disappeared around the corner and then a minute later, the sound of the door closing was heard. He turned back to Magnus who was still standing in the same spot.

“What’s he talking about Magnus?” Alec stood up and faced him, the table where only a few minutes before hand had been about to become the place where he could feel him inside him again, between them.

“Don’t worry about it. He was saying it out of anger.” Magnus said, but Alec saw something in his lover’s eyes that told him otherwise. He had forgotten. Alec had spent years reading other people’s body language and expressions. Something was off here.

“Bullshit, Magnus. What’s he talking about?” He asked again, this time more forcefully. 

“This is a discussion for another time, Alec.” Magnus said, a warning edge to his words. But Alec wasn’t going to be swayed.

“No, it’s a discussion for now. If you are hiding something that I should know about you and you want us to be together, then you need to tell me.” 

Alec’s mind was buzzing like a box of angry bees. So much had happened in the last few minutes, he was desperately trying to pull his thoughts together. Not easy when he was still half hard and foggy brained with arousal and one too many cocktails at the club. 

Magnus gave him a pleading look and shifted his stance. He could tell that this was something major that he hadn’t wanted known to him yet, if ever. 

“I might be new to relationships, Magnus but if I’m going to be risking my career for someone because I think that they are worth the battle, then I need to know everything. I deserve that much.” Alec added, and he saw Magnus’ face change into a look of worried resignation. 

“We need to sit down. You’ll need to, as well as keeping an open mind.” He said, and he began to walk towards the sofa. Alec’s heart was beginning to race in his chest. Christ, what was he about to tell him that he needed to be seated for? A deep feeling of dread filled him. 

He joined him on the sofa, sitting far enough away from him that he was just out of reach. He didn’t want him to be able to touch him and distract from what he was about to tell him. he’d need to process it on his own.


	12. Chapter 12

Magnus sat across from him on the sofa and visibly readied himself.

“My skills with magic started when I was very young. I’d always had a fascination for it and when I was ten, I was given one of those cheap magic kits. I practised and practised each trick, but it disappointed me that there was a science behind each one. A slight of hand that made it appear that something magical had happened but in truth it had only been that way because of what I’d done. 

One day, I got so frustrated with the little black plastic wand I was waving it around in the air wishing that flowers would appear out of the end of it and it wasn’t happening. I was about to give up when I stood in my room and willed with everything I had for it to happen and I brought my hand back like I was about to throw the stupid plastic thing at the wall when I felt something shoot through me, like an electric shock almost. 

I remember yelling out and bringing my hand back down and then all of a sudden, there were three red roses sticking out of the end of the wand. I was shocked at first and then terrified. I’d had no idea how I’d made it happen and I dropped the wand on the ground and just stared at it. 

It was months before I got up enough guts to try it again, and when I did, the same thing happened. Somehow, I was really doing magic. Real magic. The first thing I wanted to do, of course was tell Raphael, but I kept it to myself because I was scared that he would think I was a freak. I never showed another soul but kept practising, trying different things until late high school. 

But it wasn’t until about three years ago that I felt confident enough to share my power with Raphael. He helped me make it our ticket out of the gutter and into what it is today. He’s right, I do owe him a lot.” Magnus looked down thoughtfully, then back up into Alec’s face, waiting for his reaction to tell him what he thought.

Of all the things he had thought he might hear, this was definitely not one of them. He couldn’t say anything for a few minutes, his mind trying to make sense of what he’d just heard. 

“So, you’re telling me the tricks you perform, they’re real? Like, you’re actually doing them?” He couldn’t believe he was asking this of him. He started looking at him like he’d never seen him before.

“Yes. That’s right.” 

Ale shook his head. “But, how is this possible, there’s no such thing as real magic.”

“Well, actually there is. How do you think these things got started? The old rabbit out of a hat and disappearing lady or a ball floating in the air? Others of my kind had to throw people off the scent and make it look like they were just slight of hand illusions. Remember all the fuss about the Salem witch trials? Not all of that was rubbish, Alec. We had to cover our tracks somehow. Thankfully, enough ordinary people wanted to learn how to do magic so to keep the truth hidden, the wiser people of my kind developed ways to disguise the way tricks were performed.”

Alec was hearing all this, but his brain was having a hard time trying to make it compute. He, like ninety nine percent of the population, had grown up believing that although the entertaining men and women that stood on stages or appeared on TV, were very masterful in the art of illusion, very convincing in some cases but just well-practised tricksters, none the less. 

Now his new boyfriend, was trying to convince him that magic was indeed real. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask him what was next, telling him that he also knew Santa Claus and had vacations with the Easter Bunny? But he knew that was just being childish. 

“I know this is all very hard and a lot to take in when we’ve only just met, Alexander, but Raphael is right. You do deserve to know everything about me. It’s only fair. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks since we first met and less then that that we have entered a relationship, but I believe with my whole heart that you are special, Alexander. I always knew that when I met that certain someone, the one that would sweep me off my feet and accept me for who I am no matter what, I’d feel it. I have that feeling every time we are together.” 

Magnus held him with his longing gaze. His whole face was searching his, trying to read unspoken words, either good or bad. Alec might have been totally inexperienced when it came to relationships and exactly what that meant, but he could read people all too well. 

Whether or not Magnus was spinning him one hell of a story or not, just to ensure that he didn’t leave him after what Raphael had said to him, there was one thing he was certain of. 

He meant every word of what he had just said to him. 

Alec felt the warmth of new found feelings blossoming in his insides and radiating right throughout his body but his thoughts on everything else had his brain scrambled and he had to get his head around it. 

“Magnus, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way about you too. These last few days have been the best ones of my life. I didn’t think I could ever have what I have with you. You’re a gift to me that I could never hope to repay. But this is really hard to contemplate for me. It’s not that I don’t believe you, I can see what you are telling me is the truth, but you’re asking me to believe the impossible.

I want to be with you, I really do, but I think I need some time to process this, on my own.” It was brutally honest but Alec felt if Magnus was willing to put himself out on the line, then he should do the same thing. It was only fair. He hated having to say it, but he saw no other option. Being around Magnus as well as trying to reconcile everything he had just told him about himself would be near on impossible, and he knew it. 

Alec hated the look he saw on his face right now. He was crestfallen, even though he was trying to keep stoic about it. It was making his heart ache and making him feel really shitty for doing it to him.

“What I am isn’t who I am as a person, Alexander. That would be like me saying I don’t know if I could be with you because of your job, that it was too dangerous. It has no bearings on how I feel about you.” 

“I know, Magnus and believe me, I feel bad enough about it. But my job doesn’t involve me making things appear or disappear in an instant or making something float in mid-air. It’s incredible that you are actually able to do that sort of stuff but I’m an ordinary guy that thinks that it’s magic if a put my frozen dinner in the microwave and it comes out fully cooked and ready to eat. 

I’ve never experienced anything like this before and probably never will again and being with you means that I will have to get used to all that. It feels like I’ve just gone from zero to sixty in two seconds flat. I just need to sort everything out in my head.” 

Please, please understand, Alec thought as he tried his best to explain the way he was feeling. 

Magnus bowed his head. “I get it, I’m a lot to get used to, magical ability aside. Things have been happening pretty fast for us, and I get that. My feelings haven’t changed, Alec, I don’t see them ever being different, and it’s because of that that I’m willing to wait for you to be okay with all of this. I can’t force you to want to be with me. I would never want to be with anyone like that.”

Alec felt his heart melting. Oh God, this was all too much. It was his very first dip in the romance pool and instead of getting wet gradually, he just dived right into the deep end. He needed to learn to swim, dog paddle even, anything to keep his head above water so he could stay there, immersed in the wonderful, warm waters of feeling love for someone. 

His skin prickled at the word and he knew full well that he was right on the edge of feeling that for Magnus, even though as he had said, it had only been a short while. For him, love at first sight was right up there with magic in the reality stakes, and for someone whose life had gone from the equivalent of PB and J sandwiches to caviar and lobster in what seemed to be like a blink of an eye, it was a hell of a lot to get used to. 

“I suppose you want to leave now and organise for someone to replace you as my guard.” Magnus said, his voice low and heavy sounding. Alec wanted to hit his head into a wall for making him feel this way, for disappointing him like this, but he had to do it for both their sakes, even if he couldn’t see it right now.  
“No, of course not. I’ve never walked away from an assignment and I’m not starting now. You have your performance in a day or two. I’m hoping whoever this loser is, he’ll show his face soon and I can at least give you some relief from that. Unless, you want me to go.” 

Alec’s heart was beating so fast. Even though he had to put distance in between the two of them over this, the thought of just getting up and going right then and there left an ache in his chest the size of Texas. He couldn’t go cold turkey from seeing Magnus, he just couldn’t do that. 

“No, no of course not. If you’re comfortable about it, then I’ll try to be too.” 

A small light came on behind Magnus’ eyes at his words and Alec knew that he felt the same way as he did. 

They went to their separate rooms after that, neither saying anything more than “good night” to each other. Alec stripped off his clothes and got into bed, laying in the dark room, trying to still his mind. 

The guy he was falling for was a warlock? An honest to goodness warlock, that could make the impossible possible. God, was this really happening? After their great night together, he hadn’t been expecting to feel the heaviness that had settled in the pit of his stomach like it had. Something inside him twinged painfully, when he thought of how he had been expecting to be curled into Magnus’ strong arms right now, taking in that wonderful exotic scent of his and feeling his smooth caramel skin against his own. Fuck, he was craving it so much right now, it was taking everything he had not to just get up and go into his room and get into his bed with him. 

He was so new to all this, that was the problem, he wasn’t sure how to react to someone you had strong feelings for telling you something so out of this world you couldn’t quite believe it. Should he have told him it didn’t matter to him what he was, that he was falling for him anyway, should he of asked more questions about it, asked him to show him what he meant. 

Alec scrunched his face up in the dark, burying it into his pillow as he rolled to his side, trying to calm his mind enough to be able to sleep. But he couldn’t seem to settle. 

It wasn’t until the very first weak light of dawn started coming through the gaps in the drapes that Alec finally fell into a fitful sleep. It only seemed like five minutes until the alarm went off on his phone and he woke once more, bleary eyed and head achy, reaching out to turn it off. 

The next twenty-four hours were almost unbearable. In hind sight, Alec had begun to think that walking out on the assignment might have been less painful. Along with little to no sleep, a raging head ache that even aspirin wouldn’t quell, he had to perform his duties and deal with the constant rain cloud that seem to hang over Magnus’ head. He was visibly not himself, and from the wistful sideways glances he was giving him when he thought he wasn’t looking, he was suffering just as much as he was. 

It was torture of the worst kind. The kind that wrenched at your heart and made your soul ache, knowing that it was your own fault this was happening, whether it was justified or not. 

Also, there was a rather self-satisfied smug look on Raphael’s face that had started when he arrived and felt the cold atmosphere between them. Meal times, usually full of happy banter, were silent and even though he ate, Alec couldn’t taste a bite of his food. Margaret kept giving them sad worried looks but said nothing. 

The next night wasn’t much better, sleep wise for Alec. He tossed and turned, got out of bed and paced the night filled room until his lack of sleep and miserable feelings got the better of him. He sat on the side of his bed and scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to will his mind into coming to a conclusion about how he should handle everything. 

As he sat there, alone in his painful sadness, a remembered something his father had said to him once. He couldn’t remember the context in which he had said it or why exactly, but it he had told him that when ever he was in doubt of what to do, go with your gut, it would never steer you wrong.   
For the first time since Magnus had told him about himself, he turned off any other so-called voices of reason that were yammering at him inside his head, and decided that instead of his gut, he’d aim just a little higher. 

He listened to what his heart was telling him. 

In an instant, there was a light at the very bleak tunnel that he had been lost in. And right at the end in that light, was Magnus. Alec realised that how he felt about him hadn’t been influenced by what he was before now, he had been none the wiser of his abilities and he had been drawn to him like a moth to a flame.   
Alec felt tears prickle at his eyes as it dawned on him that he had been so monumentally unfair to think that what he was could change how he felt about him. He knew then with his whole heart and soul that it made no difference to him what so ever. 

And he needed to tell him right now. 

He went out the door of his room, padding softly down the tiled hall way to Magnus’ door. He thought about knocking but then decided not to and turned the handle as silently as he could. The soft lights that dotted the skirting boards of the hall gave just enough light for him to be able to see the still form in the large bed. 

Magnus had his back to the door and Alec crept over to the side of the mattress. He gave himself a minute to just look down on his sleeping man. Somehow, even though his eyes were closed and his breathing even, he could see the sadness still on his fine features, even in the near darkness. Perhaps it was just that he could sense them instead, but which ever way it was, it was all ending now. He’d been a complete dick about all this. 

He bent down and brushed his lips softly to his cheek, working his way to those soft perfect lips whose absence, even after only twenty four hours, made him feel like he was missing his right arm. 

He brushed his own lightly to them, the familiar thrill that accompanied each such action, returned ten-fold to make his spine feel like it had just been electrified.   
“Hey, sleepy head.” He whispered, kissing him again just as lightly. 

There was a small part of him that feared that Magnus would continue to ‘sleep’ on and ignore his renewed contact. That he was too hurt by his totally inappropriate behaviour and send him dejectedly walking back to his own cold, lonely bed. 

Alec’s heart was hammering in his chest, as he silently preyed that this wouldn’t be the case. Even though they’d only been together a short time, he knew with absolute certainty that it would be as of his world was crashing down around him if Magnus rejected him completely. 

“Hey.” He whispered again, brushing his lips to his again and then pulling back a little, listening to the seashell like roar that was his elevated blood pressure filling his ears. 

Fuck, Magnus, please don’t do this to me.

The silence in the dark room was just as deafening and the first twinge of abject disappointment began to knot his stomach and he could feel his eyes beginning to prickle as he started to pull back to leave. 

God, he’d totally fucked this all up, hadn’t he? Magnus hadn’t uttered a syllable but his stone cold silence and stillness spoke volumes. 

Alec had just turned away, trying to will his leaden feet to begin to move when he saw Magnus’ face turn towards him. 

His breath hitched audibly in the darkness.

“Does this mean you’ve changed your mind about us, Alec?” His voice was soft but there was an undertone of strength as well. 

“Can you forgive me, Magnus? I was a fucking idiot about, well, you know what.” Alec was grateful for the darkness of the room so that his heated face that he was sure would be flushed bright pink wouldn’t be visible. 

Magnus rolled his body over and moved up in the bed a little, looking at him. He could just see his face from the limited amount of light that the slightly open door afforded them.

“Alexander, being a fucking idiot aside, nothing about what I am has changed in the last day. I’m still a warlock. That will never change. I can mask it with my career, but it will always be who I am. Can you accept me for me? For what I am?” 

There was a worried sadness in his voice that made Alec feel even worse for the way he had reacted to him. He reached out and took Magnus’ hand in his and squeezed it firmly. 

“Babe, I wouldn’t care if you were the devil himself, I would want to be with you. I know its gonna sound like a lame excuse, but I think it was just a combination of Raphael calling us out like that and then you telling me about yourself. It was a bit sensory overload for such a small amount of time.”

“I would have told you myself, in a better way, Alexander, once, once I was sure that you wanted me for me. Not, not the showman that everyone else sees.” 

Magnus cast his eyes down, and Alec’s heart broke for him. 

“Hey,” He said softly, raising his chin with his fingers gently. “I see an incredible, intelligent, handsome, beautiful man with a soul that make me light up inside. The real Magnus Bane, that I feel privileged to bear witness to every day. I don’t deserve to, not after what I just did, I’m so sorry, it was a…….” 

He never got to finish his sentence as Magnus reached up and dragged him down to his level, crashing his mouth hard onto his own. 

Suddenly, the world was alright again. He felt centred and that wonderous warm feeling that only one man could fill him with, flowed right through his entire being. He was sure that if he opened his eyes right now, he’d see himself glowing in the dark from it. 

Want grew to heat, heat grew to urgency and urgency had Alec stripped bare and splayed out underneath the man he loved, totally absorbed in their love making.   
Alec’s orgasm hit him like a runaway train, making him see stars, and they’d never shone so brightly as they did in Magnus’ eyes as he watched him break apart with him. It was like witnessing something sacred, and he wanted time to slow right down, so he could savour each and every second. 

They lay still joined, panting, sweaty, but blissfully happy afterwards. 

“So, I’m taking that this means you forgive me?” Alec’s breathed, his heavy-lidded eyes smiling up at Magnus. He saw his lips twitch as he tried to act serious in that moment. 

“You are so fucking lucky you’re adorable, Alexander Lightwood. There are people out there that I’ve turned into toads for less infractions.” Magnus gave the tip of his nose a poke with one finger tip.

Alec stilled, his body stiffening. “You, you can do that?” 

“Of course. I have been known to be merciful on the odd occasion. I’ve given the person options first. You know, like, if they would prefer to be a bird or a cat or dog. You’d be surprised at the amount of people that choose other animals, like raccoons and squirrels or something. Not my cup of tea, but hey, to each his own.” Magnus gave him a shrug. 

Was he serious? Could he actually do that? He swore to himself that he’d believe this man implicitly from now on, no matter what, so he had to believe that it was the truth. Alec tried to get his scrambled post orgasmic brain to imagine what being a racoon would be like, but it was just too far of a reach for him right then.   
He hadn’t realised he’d drifted off until he heard Magnus giggling. He bent down and took his face in his hands and kissed him hard.

“My darling, you don’t honestly think I’d do something like that to anyone, do you? I’d never even think about it. Well, maybe, I'd think about it, it depends on the circumstances. Although there was this one guy that got me fuming once and I mumbled the incantation for it as he walked off.” 

“So, what did he end up being?” Alec asked him.

“Oh, he stayed the same. It was in my younger years and I didn’t really have a handle on what I was doing. He stayed his big mean horrible self. Oh except for a tail. Somehow, he ended up with a long black tail. I heard he secretly had it removed. Served him right.” 

Alec looked at his boyfriend with a small amount of scepticism. He wasn’t sure if he was joking or not and after the last few hours he didn’t want to disbelieve him. 

“What? You don’t believe me, my darling? Oh, ye of little faith. I should be hurt. Can’t say I blame you, though. I probably wouldn’t believe me if I were you either. Please, feel free to google, let me think of the phrase they used in the tabloids, ah, man with a long tale to tell, I think they said.” Magnus said, looking thoughtful then grinning broadly. 

“You’re really something else, babe.” Alec said, pulling him down towards him.

“You’re right, Alexander, because I’m now yours, body and soul.” He said softly, just before he took his mouth in a heated kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

Luckily, Magnus had declared the day before the first performance, would be a rest day, to give everyone time to rest up before the chaos of the hectic show schedule.

Alec woke with a start, frowning and blinking until he orientated himself. A slow smile began to play on his lips as his eyes focused on the still sleeping form of the handsome man beside him. He had no idea what time it was but the light that framed the edges of the drapes looked bright and strong.

It was enough to light the room and also allow him to simply gaze down at the masterpiece that was Magnus Bane. He was sleeping on his stomach, face turned towards the door. Alec took in every inch of his smooth golden skin where it lay bare before him. So beautiful, he thought and the urge to reach out and touch him was nearly irresistible.

He moved a little closer to him, just so he could feel the warmth of his body on his, marvelling at the swell of his powerful shoulder blades as they rose from under the surface. All that stored power, it was like a fist in a velvet glove.

Alec leaned up onto one arm, so he could see Magnus’ restful face. He knew it was way too early in their relationship to be thinking these things, but he couldn’t help thinking what it would be like not to see this handsome face as soon as he opened his eyes each day.

For him, it wasn’t the rising sun that heralded a brand-new day, it was the face of the man that he was falling in love with.

To have such strong feelings so early on scared the shit out of him, but as much as that sensible inner voice screamed at him to slow down and stop getting a head of himself, for the first time in his rule following life, he was completely ignoring it.

He bent down to the side of his head and was rewarded with the rich spicy scent that was all Magnus. Nothing on this earth could ever beat that smell and now it was as if it was etched in his brain. He took in a big draught of it, smiling broadly to himself as he did, before he could contain himself no longer and lightly touched his lips to the outer shell of his ear.

He ran a trail of kisses right around it’s edge before getting to his lobe and then gently taking it between his lips and sucking it softly.

Magnus made a sleepy stirring noise in his throat and shrugged his shoulder up a little. Alec felt like his heart was about to burst from the sweetness of his action and the warmth it caused filled every single space inside him.

He kissed down along his jawline, and then around to his slightly parted mouth, and then, before he chickened out of it, he brushed his lips to his, tracing his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue.

He couldn’t help the small groan that seem to automatically leave him, and he shut his eyes to try to contain his swelling feelings and not to mention the growing hardness that was starting to press against the side of Magnus’ hip.

He watched as his man’s eyes fluttered open and was rewarded with the sight of those big brown orbs filled with gentle heat.

Magnus rolled over and reached up, hooking his hands to the back of Alec’s head and pulling him down into a kiss that had Alec breathless and lightheaded in seconds.

“Good morning, my love.” Magnus whispered quietly to him when he finally released his mouth. He wasn’t letting him go, however, and kept brushing his lips along Alec’s stubbly shadowed jaw.

 

Alec felt like his insides were on fire and his blazing desire was now rock hard and jammed between the side of Magnus’ belly and him.

“It is the best morning ever, babe. But the thing is, I think its probably past morning by now.” He said, nuzzling into the side of his neck, nibbling the soft flesh.

“I really don’t think it matters, do you? My day starts with seeing your gorgeous face, Alexander, whatever the time.”

“That’s funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.” Alec purred, and he felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Magnus’ cute little giggle.

After allowing themselves to get lost in their kisses and touches, Magnus by then had rolled onto Alec, laying between his thighs and along the front of his body.

“You have the sexiest fucking chest I’ve ever seen.” He said, running a finger tip through the dark cloud. Alec laughed.

“Yeah right. And you’d be the authority on that, would you?”

“I most certainly would, my sweet boy. I haven’t exactly been a saint, you know. I don’t kiss and tell but I have seen a few and I can, without a doubt, say that my boyfriend has the best and sexiest chest ever.” He bent down and kissed from the bottom of his sternum to his collar bone, sending delightful bursts of pleasure firing through him.

Alec looked up into those big deep brown eyes and grew serious for a moment.

“Is that what I am, Magnus? Just another guy that in however long down the track it is, just becomes someone who you can compare the next one to?”

Magnus gave him a look that was full of warmth. He kissed him with a gentleness that had Alec regretting potentially spoiling the moment.

“Alexander, my love, if I lived to be a thousand years old, I couldn’t compare you with anyone else. I know things are all brand new and we have a long way to go with this, at least, I hope we do, but I feel it right to my core that this thing between us is special. Different, completely different to anything I’ve ever experienced before.” Another kiss, equally as sweet, heated Alec’s whole being.

It was as if Magnus had read his mind, for he felt exactly the same.

“You’re my endgame, Alec. And I’ve never felt or had that thought about anyone else before, man or woman.”

Alec thought his chest was going to burst from how his words effected his heart. He smiled up into his large brown eyes.

“I’m gonna say something that’s going to sound like I’m absolutely crazy, Magnus, but I can’t help it. I love you. I’ve never felt like this for anyone else either and I can’t imagine what that would be like. If you could be the first thing I see each morning when I wake up and the last thing I see when I go to sleep for the rest of my life, I’d be the happiest person on earth.”

Magnus’ eyes suddenly shone, and he crashed his mouth down to Alec’s, letting his kiss say what his own heart couldn’t put into words.

Their love making that morning was different; slower, gentler, but no less intense, saturated with their newly recognised feelings. They lay together afterwards, just holding each other, feeling how the other’s body slowly came down after dual orgasms that had left them breathless in its intensity.

Alec nuzzled the slightly damp strands of Magnus’ dark hair as his head lay in the space between his shoulder. He was loving the feel of his breath, slowly easing to a more regular tempo, wafting on his skin like a whisper. He could have stayed right there, in that spot, letting Magnus over take each and every one of his senses, for the rest of the day. Who needed food when you could quite happily live on the love that your beautiful boyfriend provided?

“I hate to wreck this most perfect of moments, but we should really get up. I have to go to the arena later to do a final lighting check.” Magnus said with a sigh. Alec pulled him closer, where the length of his entire body was melted into the side of his own.

“I know. And I should really do a security sweep as well. Now more than ever, I want to ensure your safety.” He said, kissing the top of his head, and he felt Magnus smile against him.

After showering together, which ended up resulting in sex steamier than the water that was cascading over their bodies, they towelled off and dressed. Alec wrapped the towel around his waist and went to the door but paused.

“Um, so, what are we going to do if Raphael or Margaret is out here? Margaret is pretty cool about things, I think, but Raphael isn’t gonna buy anymore lame excuses.” He said, hands on his hips, looking at Magnus with raised brows.

He smiled and walked up to him, putting his palms flat against his chest. A touch which he had to fight like crazy to redirect away from his dick. It was going to be hard enough facing Raphael, if he was out there, wearing nothing but a towel, but adding a hard on to that, just couldn’t happen.

“My love, I think it’s time, Mr Santiago got used to knowing that his friend and boss has love in his life. Secrets nearly cost me from having this with you, I’m not hiding anything anymore.” He put a small kiss on his lips and then moved to behind him and opened the door. “Shall we go?”

Alec smiled at him and took in a deep breath. He would have been lying if he said that he wasn’t worried how his assistant and long-term friend was going to react and the repercussions of it, but he was going to share Magnus’ strength about the whole thing, and face whatever he had to head on.

He headed for his bed room, Magnus following him, and they had reached the door before they both became aware of Margaret standing behind the kitchen counter, smiling broadly at them both.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. You look like you two could do with some lunch.” The smile turned into a smirk and Alec could feel his face heating. His cheeks went from warm to burning when he felt Magnus wrap his arms around his waist and put several kisses to the middle of his back.

“Sounds great, Margaret, thanks.” He said as the both entered the guest room.

They barely got inside the door when he grabbed Alec and shoved him up against the wall beside it.

“Do you know how fucking adorable you look when you blush like that?” He growled and dove right for his neck, kissing, biting and swabbing it with his tongue in a way that  Alec had no hope of controlling how it made him instantly hard.

Magnus worked his mouth down his chest, nipping and sucking each of his nipples until they rose and hardened, leaving him gasping and breathless. He reached blindly over to the edge of the door, fumbling for the edge so that he could at least close it before Magnus reached the part of his body he was working towards.

He managed to shut it just in time as he watched his hands reach up and tug the towel from his hips, leaving him eye to eye with his roaring erection. Alec threaded his hands through his hair, breathing hard and trying his best to stifle any moans that were sitting at the back of his tongue, desperate to come out. He bit his lip as he watched his boyfriend ease back before slowly taking him into his mouth, the wet heat of it making him bite his lip as he closed his eyes, put his head back and swore under his breath.

“Urghhh, hmmmmmm.” He hummed, and he felt his knees buckling. Then he made the mistake of looking down and the sight of seeing his swollen cock working in and out of his boyfriend’s mouth nearly stopped his heart.

“Arghh! Fuck, Magnus.” He said in a hoarse whisper, and he began to meet each pass with a thrust of his hips.

The speed at which he was on the verge of a monster orgasm was astounding and he fought to catch his breath.

“Oh, urgh, oh my-my fucking…….go…god, babe….. I’m gonna….. I’m gonna—co……” he stumbled as he tried with everything he had to stem the dire urgency to come. Magnus pulled off him long enough to get his words out.

“Don’t hold back, my darling, I want to taste you, every, last single, drop of you.” He purred and looked up at him from under heavy eye lids.

The moan that Alec had been trying to hold back burst out of him now, unable to be contained any longer.  Magnus took his throbbing cock back into his mouth, sinking almost right to his base as he retraced his actions, hollowed his cheeks and sucked hard.

That was it, Alec was gone. His hands fisted in the dark silk of his hair as he fired hard into the back of his throat, keeping a lid on his groan of pleasure as much as he could by chomping down hard on his already chewed bottom lip. The faint metallic taste of blood coated his tongue.

“There, feel a little more relaxed now, sweetie?” Magnus said with a smirk, as he rose from before him, saucily licking his lips with the tip of his tongue. 

Alec wanted to make a comment about how damn smug he was, but he was beyond being able to speak at that exact moment. The man had left him speechless once more.

“Aww, look what you’ve done to that pretty lip of yours. Poor baby.” Magnus cooed and gently took his battered lip between his own and sucked it between them before kissing it. Alec’s eyes rolled back in his head as the sensation of it made his just flaccid cock jerk to life again. He groaned and managed to wag a finger in front of his face.

“Please, stop, your gonna kill me.” He breathed, and Magnus gave a chuckle as he laid a hand on his heated face, brushing his thumb over the apple of his cheek.

“Oh my love, if I could, I’d have you looking like this all the time.”  He informed him, and after a final peck on the tip of his nose, he reached for the door. “Come on, handsome, get some clothes on and let’s face the world. Together.”

Alec dressed and followed him out to the kitchen where Margaret had prepared a delicious looking salad for them both. They sat beside each other, enjoying their food along with soft long looks into each other’s eyes. Alec hadn’t realised how hungry he actually was until he took the first bite of the fresh crisp lettuce and tomato. He marvelled at the way Magnus managed to be able to eat and alternate holding his hand running his finger up and down the back of it.

They were too caught up into each other to hear the front door open and Alec was about to put another forkful of cold meat and salad into his mouth when the sound of someone clearing their throat had them both turning.

Raphael stood near the door way, clearly not impressed by what he was seeing.

“Good afternoon, Raph, care to join us? Or have you already eaten?” Magnus said, acting like this was an everyday occurrence.

“It’s tempting but I hardly think there would be room for me. Besides, I’m not much into playing the third wheel.” Alec felt his skin prickle at the hard edge to his voice.

“There’s always plenty of room for you, Raphael and as for anything else, well, I suggest you get used to it. Alexander is in my life now, hopefully, for the foreseeable future and beyond that even.” Magnus told him, in a no-nonsense manner. He took Alec’s hand and held it tight when he jerked it to pull away, giving him a look that told him not to. Clearly, he wanted his assistant to have no confusion about how he felt about him.

Raphael shook his head. “I never would of thought that after all the times I’ve had to endure getting rid of your unwanted lovers that you’d stoop to fucking an employee.”

Magnus flew from the table before Alec had even time to feel his temper begin to spike. One second he was sitting next to him, the other he was in front of Raphael, gripping the front of his shirt. The anger flashing in his eyes.

“You need to watch your mouth, Raphael. We’ve been friends for a long time, but I won’t tolerate blatant rudeness. I’m in love with this man, and I won’t have you creating trouble.” He said, his voice dead even but full of meaning.  Alec stood from the table. He never wanted to make things bad between the two of them. He’d known Magnus only a matter of weeks where the other man had known him for years.

Raphael obviously had let his emotions on the matter take over his good sense, however, and showed no signs of backing down.

“Ha, love, yeah right. And how long will this love last, hm? Another week? A month? Maybe we’ll smash the record and make it over the six months mark this time. Where do you want me to send this one? Chicago? Hawaii? We’re running out of places to bury the bodies, Magnus.”

Time had somehow sped up and slowed down in that moment. Alec saw Magnus’ face contort with fury and he began to pull his hands back and at first, he thought he was going to punch him right in his smirking face and he felt himself beginning to rush forward to try to stop him. But he stopped dead when he saw him begin to move his hands in a different manner and a red haze began to emanate from them.

Magnus gave an angry growl and trust both hands forwards, palms out, the brilliant read balls of, whatever the hell it was, grew bigger before they flew forward, hitting Raphael right in the chest and upper stomach, and knocking him right of his feet. As Alec stood transfixed watching the spectacle before him, Raphael was pushed backwards, as if there was an invisible rope around his waist with someone of considerable size was yanking from the other end.

Raphael’s heels didn’t touch the floor again until the wall on the other side of the room halted his momentum. He gave a loud grunt as the breath was knocked out of him and he slid to the floor, ending in a pile on the floor.

Alec didn’t know where to look first, his boyfriend, the mad sorcerer, or Raphael who had just defied every law of physics that had been ever written. He chose Magnus and saw him standing there, hands now by his sides, just as normal as they had been when they had been all over his body only an hour before. He looked like a thunder cloud as his shoulders moved up and down with his angry breathing, his deep brown eyes glowering at his friend who was only just starting to move.

Alec was secretly glad to see Raphael doing so, he had no idea what he would have done if he had been injured enough to warrant calling an ambulance. What did one say to the paramedic when they asked what had caused his wounds? Well, he shot his mouth off about my boyfriend and mine’s new relationship and he sent him into that wall over there with a couple of fire balls that came from his hands.

Magnus must have suddenly realised what he had done in front of Alec and he spun around, his eyes now full of fear. He slowly began to walk over to him.

“Alec,… I’m so sorry…. Fuck, I just……. I just lost it over what he said. Please, please, don’t leave me….. this is so not…… I’m sorry.” His face had paled, and his eyes had gone huge and pleading.

Alec was still trying to make sense out of what he’d just seen, but high tailing it out of the apartment hadn’t crossed his mind. He had vowed to be with Magnus, magical ability and all, and even though he was shaken beyond belief by it all, he was determined to stand his ground.

“Remind me never to piss you off.” Alec said, distractedly, looking back over to the moaning Raphael, who was testing out limbs and assessing for damage.

Nervous laughter burst from Magnus, but he came over and wrapped his arms around his waist, holding him tight. Alec automatically folded him in his own and he could feel Magnus shaking against him. He didn’t know whether it was relief that he hadn’t ran away on him or that it was an after effect of the magic he had just performed.

“At least I didn’t turn him into the rat he was acting like.” Magnus said, his voice muffled where his face was mushed against his chest. The humour wasn’t lost on Alec, but he was still too shook up to let the bubble of laughter escape him.

Magnus detached himself from his man and with a sigh, turned and went over to where his friend was still on the floor, face screwed up as he rubbed the two spots on his chest and gut where the fire balls had hit him.

“I never wanted this to happen, Raphael and I admit I lost it just then, but you left me no choice. Whether you approve or not, not that I need your approval for my relationships, especially this one, Alexander is here to stay, and I do love him, and he loves me. And the fact that he’s still standing here after what you said and what I did, should be testament to that.” He offered Raphael a hand up and for a few long minutes, Alec wasn’t sure he was going to take it.

He looked up at his friend, clearly not happy, but he took the offer of help and let Magnus haul him from the floor. He stood before him, still slightly bent over.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have gone as far as I did, Magnus but I said what I did for reason. I’ve picked you up off the floor too many times from these so-called love affairs. Dragged you out of bars so drunk you couldn’t walk, cleaned you up when you threw up all over bathroom when you hit rock bottom over and over where relationships are concerned. I thought after its been as long as it has that finally, finally, you’d seen sense, but clearly not.

Well, I won’t be doing it again. I can’t stand idly by and watch the train wreck happen that’s your love life. I can’t see you put yourself through that again. I’ll be in touch where you can send my last pay check. Good bye, Magnus.”  Raphael straightened, wincing as he did, and turned without another word and a second later, they heard the front door close.

“Wow, I think he meant it this time.” Magnus said after the sound of the closing door had left the room.

“Magnus, I never…” Alec started to say but Magnus grabbed him by the arms and shook his head.

“Alec, no. This isn’t your fault. Raphael was right. I’ve put him through some heavy shit where it comes to me and other people. He wasn’t exaggerating about that but the thing he doesn’t realise is, I know that things are different this time. Before if I said something snotty to someone and I knew it hurt their feelings, I didn’t care. I just walked off and thought nothing more about it but the thought of hurting you in any way at all fills me with such dread, it’s painful. I’d rather chew my own arm off then do that to you. Things are different for a reason with you, Alec. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but they are. And it’s because for the first time in my life, I actually love someone with my whole being. You.”

 Magnus cupped his face in his hands and kissed him long and deep. Alec could feel the kiss filling him with warmth and this time, it centred right in his heart, before it radiated right around the rest of his body. Any thread of malingering doubts were banished by it.

“I love you too, Magnus.” He whispered, putting his forehead to his, when they had broken apart.

“I know, my heart, I can feel it in my soul. I’m just so sorry Raphael won’t be here to see how wrong he is about things.” Magnus said softly, and there was a distinct hint of sadness in his tone.

That evening was spent at the arena where at that time the next night, Magnus Bane would perform to a sold-out audience. Alec checked every aspect of the security system, spoke to the other guards and walked each and every possible route that Magnus might take when he entered and exited the stage.

He stood back in the wings, just watching his man in his element, standing centre stage and giving the dozen or so people that surrounded him directions. He didn’t want to start thinking about how he came to be there, watching the world-famous performer or that the same person was his. His actual boyfriend. It made his head spin just saying that to himself in his head; I have a boyfriend. And I’m crazy about him.

A movement out of the corner of his eye made him turn from what was in front of him and he saw a small statured man carrying something, heading for the dressing rooms. Alec felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he began to walk towards him to catch up.

Whoever it was, wasn’t wasting time, his head was going from side to side, looking around him. Clearly, he was searching for something or someone in particular.

“Hey, can I help you with something?” Alec called out, breaking into a half run to catch him before he got to the doorway that led to the dressing rooms.

The guy turned, and when he did, Alec saw that he was carrying an arrangement of flowers. He didn’t have an ID tag around his neck and Alec was immediately suspicious.

“Oh, thank god, this place is a rabbit warren. I’m so darn lost it’s not funny. Can you tell me where Mr Bane’s dressing room is?” He asked, looking relieved.

There was something about the guy that Alec found familiar. He couldn’t put a finger on it for now, but he knew he’d seen it somewhere before.

“Have you got ID? You should have gotten visitor clearance at the door when you came in.” Alec said to him.

“Oh, sorry. This was a late order and I was doing it on my way home. You know how it is after a busy day, a thousand things going through your head, not thinking clearly. I guess I came in the wrong door or something.” He said, sounding apologetic.

Alec frowned. Why wasn’t he stopped even at the front door? He was going to have to look into that when he finished here.

“Look, I really am in a hurry, can you just give me directions to the dressing room and I’ll go. The wife will have dinner on the table and if I’m not there to help with the kids, my privileges will be cut off for a month, know what I mean?” He gave a small laugh.

“I’ll take those. Who do you work for?” Alec reached out and took the small arrangement from him.

“Ah, city florists? Thanks for that, you’ve saved me a couple of minutes at least. I really have to go sorry.” He was already backing off as he spoke and before Alec could get any further questions asked, he was soon lost among the piles of sets and other obstacles that made the backstage area a maze.

Alec thought about chasing him down, but decided he wanted to see the guys that should have been on the front door and ask them how he came to be in there without their knowledge.

He walked back past the area where he’d been standing watching Magnus and saw that he was still in the middle of things, the posse of workers crowded around him still and deciding that he could leave him for a few minutes, headed for the lobby of the arena.

 

He was nearing the doors when he remembered he was still hanging onto the small cardboard box that held the flowers. There was certainly nothing special about them, hardly the sort of thing he would of thought someone of Magnus’ status should have been getting. He didn’t know the first thing about flowers and their worth, but they looked cheap to him.

He saw a piece of paper wedged down the inside of the box between the cardboard and the plastic that held the wet foam block that the stems were pushed into. Just inside the doors before he walked through into the lobby, he paused and took it out.

It was a docket. The dampness had effected it a little but it was still readable enough to make out that his hunch about the flowers was right; It was from a supermarket chain and they had been paid for in cash only a few hours earlier. The guy was a fake! Alec felt his blood run cold.

His legs began to work before he that even thought about it for half a second and he flew through the door at a hundred miles an hour.

“Hey! Did a guy come passed here about two minutes ago? Small, dark hair light brown skin tone?” He yelled at the two guards at the door. They looked at each other and then at him shaking their heads.

“No, sorry Mr Lightwood, haven’t seen anyone.” One of them said, clearly not having a clue about what had just occurred.

Alec pushed through the front door and went out onto the street. He looked frantically up and down each way and across but the chances of the mystery man still being within sight were slim to none and he knew it.

He went back inside and gave the order to the other two to get the other security guards to do a full search of the area and try to see if there were any doors not locked that were left unguarded.

Alec’s next thought made him go pale. “Magnus.” He half whispered to himself under his breath and he spun around and tore back towards the stage area. How he didn’t trip or fall over anything on the way he had no idea, his only focus was to get to his man and make sure he was safe, even if he had only just seen him moments before hand.

By the time he had reached the stage, his heart was pounding in his chest and he felt a panic welling up inside him he had never felt before. He’d never been in love before.

He rounded the corner of the curtains and the relief was instant. Magnus was still standing in the middle of a group of people, looking totally oblivious to anything else.  Alec allowed himself to stop and catch his breath for a few seconds as he slowed his heart rate and breathing before he went out to Magnus.

When he did, Magnus looked up from what he was doing and gave him a smile.

“Hello, my love, not bored with….. what’s wrong?” The smile died on his lips and he looked concerned at Alec’s still pale sweaty face.

“Magnus, are you okay? You haven’t seen anyone that’s not supposed to be here?” Alec said, grabbing his man’s well-rounded biceps and staring seriously into his eyes.

“No, baby, I haven’t what’s wrong?” Magnus asked him again after he dismissed the few people that were milling around him with ears straining.

“There was a guy here, a guy trying to deliver flowers but he was a fake, he got away from me, I’m sorry I tried to catch him but……..” Alec was breathing hard, more from his fear that something had happened to Magnus than being out of breath. Magnus shushed him and took him into the protective circle of his arms, holding him hard against his body.

“Alexander, I’m fine. I hardly think that anyone would try anything when I’m completely surrounded by other people all the time. And I know everyone who works either for me or with me, so I’d know if there was something out of place.” He assured his man as he rubbed small circles on his hot sweaty back to ease his panicked breaths.

“I don’t know what I would have done if he had actually gotten to you, Magnus I would of…” Alec pulled back from him to look right into his comforting dark eyes, his still lingering fear making his imagination run wild with all the horrible possibilities that might have had a chance to eventuate.

“Alexander, I’m okay, just calm down………” Magnus didn’t get to finish his sentence as Alec took his mouth in a hard-heated kiss.  It robbed him of any further protests or calming words. Alec felt Magnus go slack in his arms, completely surrendering to his fevered kisses. Yes, this is what he wanted, Magnus in his control, his alone.

A few twittering giggles made Magnus pull back from his urgency and he gave Alec an impish grin and he brushed his finger tips down the side of his flushed and sweaty face.

“I think we should probably take this……” He started.

“Elsewhere? Good idea.” Alec finished his sentence and grabbing his hand, he hurried him out off the stage and quickly through to the rear stage door where he knew Meliorn would be waiting with the car.

They entered the large black car and Meliorn had barely closed the door when Alec had Magnus pinned to the back seat, his heavy chest crushed against his.

He ignored the slight frown on his boyfriend’s face and worked his mouth from his lips up the column of his throat, to his ear lobe, taking the small fleshy appendage between his lips and sucking it hard. Magnus moaned and carded his fingers into Alec’s thick dark thatch of hair, tugging it softly as he nursed at his ear, making him grow hard and sending delicious streaks of fire shooting through his body.

“I never want you out of my sight from now on. I never want to be more then a couple of feet away from you until that asshole is caught.” Alec said, letting the wet pinked piece of flesh slip from his mouth and instead began to put a soft line of kisses along the cord of his neck.

Magnus was in ecstatic bliss. His head was back on the leather of the car seat, his eyes were closed, blocking everything out except for what his man was doing to him. He thought with Alec’s inexperience and shyness, that it would be weeks maybe months before he would finally let himself go and was able to show him how he really felt, so this was a wonderful surprise.

He knew this new found boldness and forcefulness was borne from this latest threat to his security but he didn’t care how it had came about, only that it had.

Alec had reached the collar of his three hundred dollar Thai silk shirt and had brought his hands up to begin to fumble with the buttons. Magnus slowly opened his fully blown eyes and tipped his face forward to see the wonderous sight that was his man in the proceeds of opening his shirt.

He loved the way Alec’s face was flushed pink and his hot heavy breaths were warming his skin, each time he got a button un fastened. Alec had somehow managed to kneel before him on the carpeted floor of the car and Magnus had spread his knees wide to accommodate him. The temptation to wrap his legs around those sexy hips was great but he wanted to see where this would end up and he was happy for the first time in his life, to let someone lese take the lead.

 

Alec had gotten within three buttons of undoing the shirt. The small shell buttons were frustratingly small and hard to release, and he was filled with the need to see as much of Magnus as he could right now. He was still filled with that panicked urgency, one that had him desperate to make sure that the man he loved was completely unharmed, even though the rational voice inside his head, the one that sounded very far away at the moment, kept telling him that he was fine.

He growled at the tight little button, his fingers felt like sausages right then and he couldn’t deal with the stupid little things any longer. He took each side of the soft fluid like material that was a beautiful mix of blues and greens and yanked hard.

He heard Magnus gasp as the shriek of tearing material filled the small space and the remainder of the little demons that were the buttons, shot off in three different directions inside the car.

“Baby, this shirt cost me…” Magnus started to say, but Alec fixed him with a hard gaze that made the rest of the sentence die in his throat.

“I’ll buy you another one.” He said in a low growl of a tone that sent thrills of pleasure firing right to Magnus’ core and pooling in his crotch. His cock went from hard to rigid in a split second and it tented the front of his dark blue pants, the throbbing head yearning for a means of escape.

Alec sat back a little to survey the sight before him; Magnus Bane, speechless, flushed, panting. And all fucking his.

“Fuck if you aren’t the best thing I’ve seen in my entire life, Magnus.” Alec breathed, his hungry eyes combing every single delectable inch of his bared chest, as it rose and fell in quick succession.

“I’m all yours, baby.” Magnus whispered to him, too caught up in the moment to speak any louder.

Alec leaned forward, diving straight for the valley between his pecs and mouthed down his sternum, licking, kissing and tasting as he went, eliciting deep needy groans from his man. He felt his hardness where Magnus was tilting his hips up and pressing it into his belly. His own throbbing cock was wedged behind the zipper of his pants, the head pulsing almost painfully in its dire need to be unrestrained.

Alec worked his mouth over to one dark disc of his nipple, tracing its circumference with the tip of his tongue and after hearing Magnus suck in a breath, he covered the little bud with his mouth and sucked hard, bringing it to attention.

Magnus thought he was about to go mad. Lights flashed across his closed eye lids and he cupped the back of Alec’s head, cradling him there as his fingers massaged his scalp in the deep midnight black of his hair. He was keening softly, writhing on the seat, unable to keep still as he felt his boyfriend nursing at him. Fuck if he kept this up, he was going to come in his pants for sure.

Alec broke the suction noisily and was about to head over to the other side to favour the other dusky little circle with the same treatment when the car gave a small bump and began to slow down.  He looked heavy lidded through the dark tinted windows and saw that they had reached the parking space under the apartment complex.

He looked back at his boyfriend, a breathy sweaty mess and gave him a evil smile had had him groaning all over again.

“I can’t wait to get you inside.” Alec said, his deep voice at least another two octaves lower than normal.

Magnus almost winced as he felt his tone reverberate right through him, making his balls hitch up and go tight, ready to fire. He felt the dampness of precome beginning to leak slowly from his engorged cock. Fuck, if he didn’t come soon, he was going to be in so much agony. What was he saying? He already was in agony.

Meliorn opened the door and both Alec and Magnus missed the small hint of a smile that curved the driver’s lips as he took in their appearance as they made a rush for the elevator. The doors pinged closed almost immediately and Alec had Magnus backed up onto the far wall. His hands were either side of his head, his iron hard pole was thrust against Magnus’ own and he cried out, reaching out his hands and clasping the cheeks of his firm butt so he could grind his neediness against him. His mouth hung slackly open and if it wasn’t for the security cameras and the guards that he knew were monitoring them, he would have shucked both their clothes and taken him right then and there on the floor or the wall of the lift.

“I want you so fucking bad right now, I can taste it.”  Magnus said, digging his fingers into the toned flesh of his glutes.

“Not tonight, tonight I’m going to have you.” Alec whispered hoarsely into his ear and Magnus felt his knees going weak and he made a helpless sound in his throat. He crashed his mouth down onto his and filled it with his tongue and Magnus was about to expire when the doors opened, and they had to part, long enough to get inside the penthouse.

Neither of them spoke, they were both focused on the same primal need and they reached the door, Alec trying to gather his thoughts enough to be able to unlock the door and disable the alarm system.

As soon as the door swung shut behind them and they stood in the quiet of the tiled hallway, Alec lost the last of his control and there was a momentary frenzy of shirts, pants, shoes and underwear being tossed messily onto the cool creamy tile of the floor.

Alec didn’t have to say anything, Magnus pressed his chest to the nearest wall, his cheek flattening against its smooth surface. He was panting hard and groaning as Alec kissed and nibbled his way across the back of his shoulders and then down his spine. He felt like he was either going to explode or burst into flames as he stood there, his legs shaking with the strength it took to deny himself the orgasm he was in utter desperate need of.

“Lube, condom, draw, over there.” He huffed out, raising a shaky hand to point to a buffet cupboard a few feet away in the living area.

Alec went over to it, opening the draws until he found what he was looking for, too filled with his own need to ask Magnus why the hell did he have those things in that place.  Each step he took back over to where Magnus was braced against the wall made his balls ache and his cock throb. He didn’t want to think about the fact that he had never had se with another man before in his life and that even though he was so filled with a mad need right now that it was sending him cross eyed, he had never wanted anything more in his entire life before.

He tore open the small foil packet and eased the tight-fitting latex over his knob and down the shaft, his frank urgency making his cock super sensitive to any form of touch. Large drops of come began to seep out of the head and he had to stop for a few seconds so he wouldn’t come too soon and spoil everything.

“Take me, Alexander, I want you to take me.” Magnus whispered, and he spread his feet wider in readiness.

“Believe me, Magnus I will.” Alec growled as he opened the lube and squirted in a generous amount into his palm. He pressed against the cleft of Magnus’ butt cheeks and loved the he jerked a little at the feel of the cold gel before he pressed his way inside, working the greasy growing warmth up and down passed the tight little ring of muscle and feeling it spasm.

“Hmmm, yesssss.” Magnus hummed, and he pressed his butt back into the touch as if he was asking for more. Alec was more than happy to give it to him.

He poised at the his entrance, hesitating for only half a second before he pushed his fingers inside, groaning at the sensation of the tight wet heat that squeezed then firmly. Magnus let out a groan that seem to originate from deep down in his being.

In all his years of ‘playing the field’ so to speak, he’d never allowed anyone to be this invasive with his body. He’d always taken the lead and made it very clear to his partner, man or woman, that he would tolerate nothing else.

But whether it was because of the strong feelings, that he now recognised as love, that he had for this man, or something else, he wanted nothing more than to be completely taken by him.

“Fuck, Magnus, you feel so good. So tight, so hot.” Alec breathed right in his ear and Magnus could feel his muscles clamping around the long thin fingers that were opening him open like a flower.

He was practically purring against the wall and in no time at all, his hole was a loose greasy mess, just waiting for Alec to fill him to the brim.

Alec would have felt like he was having an out of body experience, if it hadn’t been for the fact that he could feel, taste and hear everything that was happening. He tried not to thing about how crazy it felt to be doing this to another guy, that he actually had the balls to do it at all was shock enough. If he had stepped back to analyse it, he probably would of said his new found boldness was borne of his abject terror that the man he loved could have been hurt or god forbid, killed, while under his supposed care.

For whatever crazy, wild impulse that had taken over him from today’s incident, he truthfully didn’t give a shit about the why or wherefores about it, he had the overwhelming need to use his body to show Magnus that he was his, and no one else’s and he’d be damned if anyone was going to take him from his arms. To his happy relief, Magnus obviously was enjoying this as much as he was.

Alec slowly removed his fingers, noting how Magnus’ body seemed to be trying to grip onto them, wanting them to stay where they were, and the accompanying little whine of disappointment he heard coming from his boyfriend, confirmed it. He smiled and mouthed at his neck, lapping at the salty tasting golden skin which on served to heighten his already urgent need.

“I want you to know that your mine, Magnus, only mine. From now on in. Every inch of your body inside and out is mine as I’m yours. I want to give you as much pleasure as you give me when you enter me. I can’t wait to feel that tight heat around my cock.” Alec whispered the last few words right into his ear before tracing its outer shell with his tongue, hearing his lover moan loudly and feeling his body shiver and then push back into his hardness, silently asking for what it wanted.

Alec took his throbbing erection and positioned the head right at the quivering ring of muscle and gently began to push forward, praying to god that he wouldn’t hurt him in any way. He heard a small gasp come from Magnus and froze, afraid his worst fears had come to light, but after a shakily whispered, “no, don’t stop”, he began to move forward once more.

His broad greased head sunk into the pressurised warmth of Magnus’ body and then suddenly, with a small yelp from both of them, it completely disappeared. Alec’s eyes rolled back in his head and he groaned in delight at the sensation; he could feel his need to come rise another few notches and he had to grit his teeth and jaw to try to stop it from happening too soon.

Magnus mewled and tilted his hips back, clearly wanting more of him as his body warred with itself about whether it wanted its invader to stay or to go.

“Urghh, hmmmmm, Alec, pleeeaasseee, morrreeee.” Magnus stretched each word out to the maximum as his whole body slowly undulated in absolute ecstasy that he was feeling.

Alec was happy to comply with his wishes and he pushed forward again into the wet ripe heat of him. Any sign of resistance stopped as his man’s body accepted him without condition. Alec was about to go out of his head, he’d never felt anything remotely like this before and he had to remind himself to take his next breath.

He reached his full length, his wide shaft now fully sheathed within Magnus and by the constant stream of satisfied noises coming from him, he was fully immersed in the sensation. Alec began to pull back and then thrust forward, tentatively at first, and then with each stroke, with the delicious build up beginning to mount, each push forward grew a little stronger.

He grunted and moaned, his fingers digging into the flesh of Magnus’ hip as he impaled him time and time again. Each movement was urging them closer and closer to climax and just when they both had worked themselves to a level where there was even no need for their next breath, Alec braced himself as he felt his orgasm reach that wonderous point of inevitability where he knew with absolute certainty that with the next hard thrust, he was going to come.

He felt Magnus’ ass take a strangle hold of his swollen ridged cock as a series of unintelligible sounds cascaded from his lips, as if his body was making room for what was about to come.

“Fuuuccckkkk, Magnus, I love you.” Alec managed to squeeze out passed his gritted teeth before he pulled back, almost his full length and then with a roar, drove his cock home, the hypersensitive head nudging something deep inside his core and then the world exploded around him, and his vision went white.

Somehow, while he was fully enveloped in the greatest of all sensations he had ever experienced before in his life, he could still hear his boyfriend as his orgasm ripped through him. Magnus cried out his mind-blowing pleasure as his muscles spasmed around Alec where he was buried deep inside him. His own erection fired hard before him, pearly essence hitting the wall and the tiled floor in a glistening puddle.

Alec slumped against his man’s back, riding each heaving breath that he was taking as he fought his way back to reality. He felt the contractions milking every last drop from him, filling the condom to the point where he was afraid of it ripping open. His hot panting breath heating Magnus’ skin where his face lay against his sweat slippery back.

“that was…. I can’t….” Alec tried to make his brain work efficiently enough to articulate what he was feeling right then but it wasn’t working.

“Shh, baby, don’t speak.” Magnus whispered weakly, hands braced against the wall and somewhere in his post orgasmic brain he was wondering how the hell he was still standing. His legs had been shaking so hard by the end he was certain he had been going to end up on the floor.

After heart rates and breathing became closer to normal, Alec felt his spent cock slipping from him and with a small whine from the loss of it, Magnus slowly turned and enfolded himself in Alec’s arms.

“If I don’t sit down soon, I’m going to fall down. And I don’t even know if my legs will work again yet.” He said, his voice muffled by Alec’s shoulder. Alec smiled.

“My thoughts exactly, babe.” He smiled and after planting a soft kiss to the side of his neck, they did a lazy clean up and headed for Magnus’ bed.

Much later, when they were both drowsy and wrapped up together under the cool sheets, Magnus lay with his dark head in the spot-on Alec’s shoulder that seemed to of been made just for him.

“If I’d have known that a near kidnapping was going to result in feeling that good, I’d have gone looking for the nearest criminal ages ago.”

“Don’t even think that, Magnus. If anything, ever happened to you, it would end me.” Alec said, pulling him protectively closer. Magnus gave a small smile and kissed the side of his chest lightly.

“I know nothing will ever happen to me when I have the man I love watching over me. We should get some rest; the day starts early when I have a show to do.”

“I love you too, Magnus. Let’s get some sleep.” Alec drawled, his heavy eyelids unable to stay open any longer and he fell asleep, warm and sated in his lover’s embrace.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to all my readers out there that have been following this fic. John Lennon once said that life is what happens while you;re making other plans and he was so right! This is the second last chapter for this fic and it comes with a warning.   
> There is a bit of violence in this chapter along with the mention and description of blood so consider yourselves warned if you are sensitive to either or both of those subjects.   
> Hope you enjoy it and I'll try to get the final chapter up on here soon. Thanks for everyone who has been reading and commenting on it. I really appreciate your feedback.

The next morning, as Magnus had previously stated, had started early, almost at the crack of dawn. After indulging themselves in a few minutes of warm morning kisses and soft caresses, Alec and Magnus headed for the shower and then after dressing, Magnus took in an early morning work out at the gym.

Alec joined him and was surprised at how much it wore him out. He’d been pretty lax with his fitness since this detail. Another thing to blame falling in love with his client on. But now he just simply didn’t care.

After showering once more at the gym, they headed straight for the arena. A caterer had been organised and a full breakfast was laid out for them and all the staff. It was a pleasant way to start the morning, laughing and talking with everyone and Alec found himself relaxing and enjoying himself. He didn’t have to be on his guard right now. The only person he thought that might have a  chance at causing issues would have to be the invisible man.

When work got under way, Alec busied himself with all the security details. He made the team of guards do a complete check of every possible entrance point and made sure that every nook and cranny of the huge space was checked and checked again. He didn’t want anymore uninvited guests or nasty surprises.

By lunch time, Alec felt that things were pretty much under control and he gave himself permission to relax just a little as he waited in the wings, watching his boyfriend work. Magnus was going to be on stage for two hours, and he was in a final full rehearsal and sound check. It gave him a great feeling that he knew was probably the only person here that knew the full truth about his act. He wondered if the truth was every revealed, what would happen. He didn’t want to think about that. They ate lunch together in Magnus’ dressing room, a rather opulent space even though it was only small.

“So, how are you coping with all this, my love? Sick of it yet?” Magnus asked him as they sat opposite each other devouring a tasty salad each.

“I don’t know how you do it, babe, all this…..”Alec gestured around him with a hand. Magnus smiled and leaned across the table to kiss him.

“But you do know how I do it, Alexander. And as for everything else, it helps to have great staff that keep me on track and running everything behind the scenes.”

“Speaking of staff, have you heard from Raphael?” Alec asked. It seemed that the guy was maintaining radio silence since their fight the day before. It hurt to see Magnus’ face fall just a little at the mention of his name.

“No, it looks like he really means it this time. I hate to think that I’ve lost such an old friend and a great PA but, well, we’ll see. I’ll give him a day to calm down and then I’ll call him.” Magnus said.

After they had finished eating, Alec stood to take their plates back out to the caterers and Magnus put a hand on his arm as he turned to leave the dressing room.

“Can you just give me about a half hour, my love? I just need to feel some peace for a little while before the chaos begins all over again. Don’t take it the wrong way, I do this before every performance. I just need to centre myself.” Magnus said.

“Of course, Magnus. I’ll take these out and then do a check of the car park. I’ll see you in a half hour.” Magnus gave him a final kiss, making sure that his lips would remember it, for at least the next half hour, before they smiled softly into each other’s eyes and whispered their ‘I love yous’ to each other.

Alec left the room and headed for the catering table. How was it possible to feel so damn different yet look the same when you had someone so important to you, you couldn’t see your life without them in it anymore? He hadn’t really given himself time to think too deeply about everything, which was not like him at all, really but things had happened so quickly between he and Magnus and with everything else going on, he hadn’t had much time to himself.

He dumped the plates and then headed for the large car park which for now, was completely empty but he knew in only a few short hours, it would be filled to capacity for his boyfriend’s sold out show.  He walked the perimeter, checking the scruffy bit of garden that bordered it and made sure that there were no signs of anything being out of place.

It was hard not to appreciate what I nice day it was. So much of his time was spent indoors these days but although he missed out on feeling the sunshine on his face, he couldn’t help thinking that he had never felt such warmth then when he was with Magnus. He was his sun these days and he didn’t want to have it any other way.

As he headed back towards the stage door, he smiled to himself as he thought of the monumental one eighty that his mind had taken since meeting him. It had only been a short time ago that he remembered complaining to his boss about the assignment and how he wanted to get out of it. God, how times had changed.

He shuddered now to think about what would have happened if he had of taken another job and not met Magnus at all. The words blissfully ignorant of complete happiness came to mind. For the first time in his life, Alec felt whole, like he had found a missing piece of himself that he had always been aware of but had learned to live without. When he thought about what it might have been like to of continued on with his lifestyle of all work and no play, denying his heart a place to call home, he felt his gut twist. Thank god things had changed for him. Who needed sunshine when you had love to keep you warm from the inside out?

He was smiling still as he headed for Magnus’ dressing room, hoping that maybe they could share a few short minutes together before he went back to work. As he made his way through the maze of the back-stage area, Alec could hear the now familiar sounds of the crew going about their duties and doing their final prep for the big performance tonight. To Alec, it looked like organised chaos and he had no idea how they did this for a living but somehow, they were getting it all done, working together for the common goal.

He reached Magnus’ dressing room door and gave a soft knock before entering.

“Hey, Magnus?” He said, pausing for a few seconds, but there was no reply. He felt his hopes for a few shared kisses take a dip, but he turned the handle anyway and went in. What he saw stopped his heart.

Magnus was slumped on the floor, still and lifeless.

Alec gasped and rushed straight over to him.

“Magnus! Jesus, Magnus! Hey!” He put a hand gently on his shoulder and gave him a small shake before moving it to his chest and feeling the slow rise and fall of it. Relief, although temporary, flooded through him. Thank god, at least he was breathing, he was just unconscious.

Alec looked around the dressing room but saw and heard nothing out of place. He brushed his fingers to Magnus’ cheek, tenderly. God, let him be alright. What the hell had happened? Was he sick? Had he tripped and fallen?

“Hey, baby? Wake up for me, please?” Alec asked in a soft but pleading tone. He was still crouched beside his man on the floor, reaching for his phone in the pocket of his pants when someone struck him from behind. He didn’t hear the footsteps at all but the next thing he was aware of was a bone crunching thud to the back of his head and his vision went white before the blackness took over and he slumped forward, laying across Magnus’ still prone form.

When Alec finally came to, the first thing he was aware of was a massive ache that was radiating out from the back of his skull. He went to bring a hand up to feel the injured spot, but he met with resistance and as his shaken senses slowly began to return, he realised that his hands and feet her bound with something.

His eyes fought to focus on his surroundings, and it took a few goes before he could open them without the pain in his head feeling like it was going to crack wide open. When he did, he saw that he was in a dull room, leaning up against a wall. The place was a filthy mess; old newspapers, rubbish, rotting garbage of various kinds and the smell of animal urine filled his nose and made him screw up his face.

There were holes in the dirty walls and the window had been boarded up. Suddenly, it came crashing back to him how he’d gotten there. Magnus! Fuck!

Alec turned his head, too quickly unfortunately, which made the biting pain flare to a point where he saw spots before his eyes and he was forced to close them for a minute to choke down the need to pass out or vomit, whatever came first.

When he had recovered enough once again, he slowly turned his head to the left, and saw Magnus looking back at him with a worried expression.

“Alexander, thank god you’re alright. Are you, alright?” He asked in a quiet voice.

Alec could see that his hands were behind his back and that he must have been bound as well but his feet were free. Even though Alec was still trying to get his head together about their situation, he felt his own relief at seeing him. The last thing he remembered was seeing his lifeless body on the floor of his dressing room.

“Yeah, I think so. Jesus, Magnus, what the hell happened? I was scared you were dead or….” Alec didn’t even want to think about that. On top of everything else, he now had the terrible feeling that he had failed to keep his client safe, which at the end of the day, had been the reason he was there.

“I’m not sure. After you left, I decided to take a few minutes to chill out and listen to some music. I do it before each performance, you know, be fore things get crazy. I had my phone and had just put my ear buds in before someone grabbed be from behind and put something over my face. They didn’t say a word, but I remember struggling, trying to get out of it but there must have been something on the cloth over my nose and mouth because I must of blacked out. I only came to just before you did. I was calling you, cause you were moaning.” Magnus looked pale and worried, his dark eyes huge in his face.

“I don’t remember hearing you, he popped me on the back of the head with something when I was leaning over you on the floor. Have you seen anyone?” Alec asked him.

Magnus shook his head. “No, no one.”

He started shuffling on his butt over to where Alec was sitting and braced against Alec’s upper arm, Magnus leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. The warmth of the contact made the ache in his head dull just a little and Alec leaned into the touch, wanting more. Magnus’ kisses were like a balm for his damaged head.

“I was so scared that you were hurt when I walked into that room, Magnus.” Alec said softly when he finally and reluctantly, pulled back away from his lips. They were deep into each other’s eyes, both searching for assurance of their wellbeing.

“I think my heart didn’t start beating again until I saw you open your eyes just then, baby.” Magnus told him, and he leaned in to put his forehead against Alec’s.

“we need to try to get out of here and find out what they hell’s going on.” Alec said before Magnus sat back once more. He tested the bindings on his wrists, feeling the texture of them and realised that he must be constrained with nylon rope of some kind. His wrists had been bound crossed over and he forced them apart enough that the ropes loosened, and he could slip free. Magnus pulled forward so that he could reach his own restraints and in a few short seconds, they were both untethered.

Alec removed the rope from his ankles as well and then rose from the floor, the action making his head feel like it was about to explode. He bent forward, willing himself to stay conscious as he heard Magnus give a gasp and put an arm around his shoulders.

“God are you alright, Alexander?” He could hear the shakiness to his voice and he hated that he was causing him so much worry. He should have been consoling him, making sure he was okay and attempting to get him out of there. But if he had of done his job properly, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He stood slowly back up and for the first time, reached a hand around to feel the sore part on the back of his head. He winced as his fingers made contact and he felt his hair was damp and mattered. He was probably in for some stitches when this was sorted out.

His hand came away smeared red and he heard Magnus give a small moan.

“Fuck, Alec, oh my god! Are you…..” Alec managed a weak smile and leaned in to kiss him.

“Magnus, it’s okay. I’m alright, really. I just want to get you out of hear and find the bastard that did this.” He felt in the pockets of his pants, but his phone was missing. Either it had been taken away from him or it had fallen at some stage of being transported from the area to wherever this was.

He headed softly as possible towards the scared, closed door, making sure Magnus was behind him. He tried the handle and it turned freely. Obviously, whoever it was behind this, hadn’t thought that there was a possibility of them getting free and escape wasn’t an option. Clearly, this guy or woman, was an amateur criminal.

Alec stuck his head out of the room and saw that there was a set of rickety looking stairs a few feet before them.

“when I tell you, stay behind me and try to be as quiet as possible, okay?” He said whispering to Magnus. He saw him swallow and then nod before they began to make their way out of the room.

It became glaringly apparent that trying to do this without making a sound was going to be impossible. The old floor boards creaked at each step they made, and Alec’s only hope was that he would be able to defend them both if and when he or she came at them.

They had made it down to the last few steps on the stair when a familiar face appeared from a door way.

Raj.

Alec ignored the throbbing pain in his head and now was filled with rage. How had this guy gotten away with this?  He was frowning at them as he came at them, brandishing a handgun.

Alec ignored the small hitching noise he heard coming from Magnus behind him and he backed up, pressing himself against his boyfriend’s body to protect him. Right now, he needed to focus on this idiot with a weapon and try to get his shaken brain to figure out the safest way out of this situation.

“How did you get out of those ropes? I had them tied real tight.” Raj complained, both trembling hands holding the heavy looking gun before him.

Alec immediately went on full alert. A nervous criminal with a weapon was a very dangerous one. Things could go either way; either Raj could be easily distracted and over powered or he would get a shot fired off from his very unstable state.

“Next time you kidnap someone, learn to tie better knots. Come on, Raj, put the gun down and lets all walk away from this safely.” Alec said, chancing a step forward. The gun came up a little further in front and Alec froze.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve wanted to do this for months now. I’ve been planning it for ages.” Raj looked extremely affronted by Alec’s suggestion. “Do you know how hard you made my life when you fired me, Bane? Fuck, I was practically homeless.”  He’d turned to look at Magnus behind him. Alec shifted to shield Magnus further. He’d been trained to take a shot, Magnus hadn’t and the thought of the sight of the man he was in love with slumping to the floor on those dirty stairs bleeding was about as bad as it got for him.

“Raj, you stole from me and tried to earn money by selling personal photos. What did you expect me to do?” Magnus said. Alec heard the tremor in his voice even though he had managed to keep his tone quiet and even.

“Hey, I figured if those paparazzi could make a buck or two, what would it hurt if I did the same. Anyway, why have weird shit on your phone if you didn’t want it getting it out.” Raj said.

Alec couldn’t believe this guy. How he’d managed to get as far with his plans to exact revenge on his former employer, he had no idea.

“What I have on my own personal phone, was private and was never meant to be seen. By anyone, let alone a grubby little thief.” Magnus fired back at him.

Alec tensed as he saw the disgruntled man flinch a little at his words. The gun was pushed out that little bit further.

“I did a good job for you, Bane. I was at your beck and call all day every day.” He yelled. The gun waggled dangerously, and Alec readied himself in case he had to lunge at him to knock it away.

“Stealing my car and using it to have a party with your friends, isn’t what I’d call being a good worker. Not to mention the theft of my phone.” Magnus reminded him.

“And if you hadn’t been such a kinky son of a bitch and taken a few selfies in compromising positions with those people, I wouldn’t have been tempted to use ‘em.”

Alec couldn’t believe that this idiot had the hide to feel slighted and the injured party in this whole thing. He turned to see Magnus’ face was saying the same thing.

“You had no brains then and no brains now, you fucking loser. What do you think is going to happen when the police get you this time? I might of asked for a little leniency before but I’ll be damned if I will this time.”

Alec saw the small man’s face darken and he looked like he was about to explode with rage. 

“I don’t give a shit what you think, Bane, you’re gonna give me a million bucks or the next photos that anyone sees of you will be crime scene ones.” He screamed the words and then swung the gun above his head and screwing his face up, fired off a shot.

Alec acted before he had time to think about it too long. With Magnus’ terrified cry in his ears, he launched himself down the stairs at Raj, crashing into him, taking him by surprise and knocking him off his feet.

With a rather sickening thud, the guy hit the floor hard, the gun flying out of his hands. Alec struggled up to take his arms roughly behind him, bringing a squeal of pain from the assailant.

Raj had no chance of getting free from Alec’s hard muscular grip and Alec had a knee dug into the small of his back to go with it. Chalky paster from the ceiling was dusting the floor around them and Alec tried to control his breathing to keep himself as steady as possible. He turned towards Magnus and almost faltered when he saw him crumpled to the rotten stairs.

“Fuck! Magnus! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Magnus!” Alec yelled, his eyes scanning as much of him as he could see through the worn rungs of the stair case bannister.

At first, Magnus didn’t say anything, and Alec felt fear and panic rising inside him. Jesus, what if he had been hurt somehow, what was he supposed to do with this fucking fool?  He didn’t want to let him go so he could attempt to escape justice again. On impulse, Alec removed one hand and drew back a fist, readying to slam it into Raj’s mashed face when it was lying on the filthy floor. If he knocked him out, he wouldn’t be moving anywhere.

“Alec no! It’s alright, I’m alright.” Magnus, voice was very shaken but hearing him say the words made relief wash over him like a cool breeze.  He closed his eyes for a few seconds to allow the rage he felt for the man below him to subside and the need to plant him through the floor boards to lessen.

Alec dug his knee a bit harder into Raj’s back, making him wail like a wounded animal.

“Shut the fuck up, Raj or I just might rearrange that nose for you anyway.” Alec growled down to him, and the wails turned into sobs. This guy was a total joke.

When the police and paramedics did arrive, all Alec wanted to do was to take Magnus into his arms and hold him, making sure that he really was unharmed. He had gotten Magnus to go back to the room they had been in to get one of the ropes they had been tied up with and he brought it down to him, so he could wrap it around Raj’s wrists. Alec made sure that his knots weren’t as easy to escape from as his had been. The would be criminal wouldn’t be going anywhere.

A quick search of his pockets unearthed a phone and he called 9-1-1. For a few minutes before they had arrived, Alec had held Magnus hard against him, satisfying himself that he truly was in one piece. He looked long a deep into his shiny eyes, holding his face in his hands.

“Fuck I thought for one horrible minute that I’d lost you, baby.” He said softly, and before Magnus had a chance to reply he crashed his mouth down to his, taking his lips with a gentle force. He felt his body relax against his, melting into him.

“I’m not going anywhere, my heart.” Magnus said to him, a small soft smile lighting his face and giving it a little well needed hint of colour once more.

“Urgh! You two need to get a room.”  Raj commented from his spot against the wall where Alec had left him.

Magnus’ eyes blazed over to where he was and he pulled out of Alec’s arms and thrust out a hand where a red ball of light appeared from this hand and flew towards Raj, hitting him right in the chest, pushing him into the crumbling plaster hard enough that he was forced back into the wall cavity, a shower of dry wall falling over him.

“Shut that mouth of yours, Raj, before I turn you into something I can squash under the heel of my boot.” Magnus said. The high pitch cry that came from the man was almost comical and then the sharp distinct smell of urine filled the air. A spreading puddle formed from underneath him. He had gone a sickly shade and was looking at Magnus like he had seen a ghost.

The next hour was taken up with giving the police a run down of what had transpired and the paramedics treating his head and making sure Magnus was having no ill effects from being knocked out. A search uncovered a bottle of chloroform and a piece of lined paper with a check list on it like a laundry list, obviously meant for Raj’s benefit.

The police hauled Raj to his feet, replacing the ropes with handcuffs. The man had completely gone to pieces and was mumbling indiscernibly as his whole body shook. Neither the police or the paramedics could get any sense out of him and they dragged him out to the waiting patrol car. Alec and Magnus were given the all clear. Alec’s head wound wasn’t as bad as first thought, luckily and didn’t require stitches.

They were driven back to the police station to make formal statements and then they were free to go. Alec just wanted to head back to Magnus’ apartment and take a long hot shower, washing the smell and the grime of the whole disgusting experience from his body.

Magnus asked if he could use a phone to make a call and he rang Meliorn to come and pick them up. They sat in the back seat, holding each other close, taking comfort in the sound of each other’s breathing and the warmth of their bodies.

“To the arena thanks Meliorn.”  Magnus said as they pulled out into traffic.

Alec had been cradling his head to his chest, lazily tracing the outline of his lips. He stopped and stared at his man.

“What! Magnus what are you doing? You have to go home and rest. We both have.” He said but Magnus just looked up at him with a small smile.

“My heart, I have a show to put on. I have an arena full of people expecting me to be there and I don’t want to let them down.” He simply stated.

“But you, we, were just kidnapped and assaulted. Surely your fans would understand if you couldn’t go on with the show.” Alec couldn’t believe he was hearing this. There was dedication to your profession, god knows, he had been a slave to his own on more than one occasion, but then there was just outright stupidity.

“Baby, I’m fine, thanks to you and that ridiculous man is now safely behind bars now so I have nothing more to fear from him. That reminds me, we should go somewhere after the show and celebrate. I want to introduce m gorgeous man to the rest of the world. Think you can handle that?” He sat up, brushing his lips to Alec’s as he went. That twinkle of mischief was back in his eyes and it wasn’t that Alec wasn’t happy to see it but he’d had enough excitement for one day.

“Magnus you’re crazy. I’m sure they could do without you for one day. Postpone the opening night until tomorrow. And I’m hardly in a fit state to be going anywhere. Look at me. I’m filthy, I have blood on my shirt and I bet I smell terrible.”

Magnus dove his nose into the curve of Alec’s neck and took an exaggerated deep sniff. As flabbergasted as he was about Magnus’ plans, Alec couldn’t help smiling and feeling a tingle run over his skin when he did it. Magnus hummed in apparent delight.

“Hmmmm, you smell just fine my beautiful man. And I bet you taste just as good.”  He gave Alec’s jaw line a swipe with his tongue and looked back at him like he’d just sampled the sweetest thing ever.  Alec laughed and shook his head. His new man was such a goof ball sometimes.

“Yeah, I bet. I had no idea the combination of dirt, dry wall, sweat and blood was so tempting.”  He joined his lips to his again and was soon lost in yet another fevered kiss. He’d say one thing for Magnus, he could take your mind off things. When they’d broken the kiss, Alec knew that there was very little he could do or say about changing his mind. He’d only just gotten a glimpse of what it was like to put on an performance of the magnitude that Magnus did. He guessed this time, he’d have to give in and let the person who knew more about it guide him.

 

It was minutes until the show was scheduled to begin and Alec couldn’t believe the way Magnus had sailed into the arena, acting like he’d just gone on a break for a few minutes instead of being drugged and kidnapped. He was a total professional about it all and had reassured all the staff that he was completely fine and able to carry on with the show.

Alec had taken a step back and watched from the wings. He was still technically his body guard but with the apparent threat that he’d been hired to keep him safe from now behind bars, he figured that he could relax just a little.

While Magnus was surrounded by people getting him ready, Alec let himself reflect on what they had gone through today. He’d rarely come across an inepter criminal than Raj. The guy was a brainless jerk, and it still astounded Alec that he had gotten as far along with his plans as he had. Until the guy spilt the beans on exactly how he had gotten the two of them out of here and to that cesspool of a house, he could only guess at it. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it stumped him. Here was a man that acted like he didn’t have enough brains to know how to tie his own shoes, yet he could mastermind a kidnaping of a well-known public figure? He just didn’t get it.

Magnus’ dressing room door opened, and he strode out, surrounded by staff. He looked over to Alec and smiled, giving him a wink.

“Knock’em dead, Magnus.” Alec told him as he began to follow him to the stage.

“It’s break a leg, baby.” Magnus came back at him with blew him a kiss as he stood in the wings, waiting for his cue to go on. Alec blushed and smiled back. He didn’t want to think about him breaking anything, especially after the day that they’d had.

The houselights went down and the music was cued, and the voiceover announcer began his monologue.

 

Magnus had been on stage for a little over an hour now and Alec couldn’t take his eyes off his man. The show was wonderful, and the audience was captivated by it. Every trick was met with loud applause and cheers and Alec caught himself wanting to do the same thing. He loved it.

He knew from the rehearsals that Magnus was building up to his final act and he found himself holding his breath waiting for it.  

The whole audience, around four thousand people, weren’t making a noise as they watched, enraptured. Alec couldn’t blame them, he was doing the same thing. Ethereal sounding music added to the magic and he watched as his man worked his craft, doing things that had the people gasping in wonder.

Alec looked at the faces of the crowd, what he could see of them from where he was standing. Each and every one looked like a little kid at Christmas, staring in wide eyed wonder at a lit-up Christmas tree. It was a sight to see.

It was while he was looking at the captivated faces, that he saw a small flash of light. At first, he thought it was someone breaking the strict, no flash photography rule that was posted at each and every entrance to the main arena. Alec frowned and shifted slightly to try to get a better look at exactly where the culprit was seated. It was hard to pin point the location. With the blazing stage lights and the enormity of the place, it was like looking for a needle in a hay stack.

Alec kept his eyes on the general direction of where it was and took the hand-held radio that he used to communicate with the other security guys and told them what he thought he had seen and roughly what row.

Magnus was almost at the grand finale, and the lights dipped to near blackness which included the stage, on a single beam shone up from the floor. The music built into a crescendo as Magnus gave a flourishing move with his arms and hands, and then suddenly, the stage was erupting in a cloud of brilliant coloured butterflies.

The audience went wild as the little winged creatures headed upwards. The audience now were on their feet, clapping and cheering at the spectacle and slowly, the house lights came on dimly.

It all happened very quickly after that.

Alec was still looking for any sign of a camera or even a phone being used inappropriately when he saw something that chilled him to the bone. On one end of a distant row, tucked into a darkened corner, a figure was aiming the barrel of a handgun at the stage. They started to creep slowly down the side aisle towards the stage and closer to Magnus.

Alec was running before he had time to even plan his next move.

“There’s a guy with a gun! On the left aisle heading for the stage! Everyone get there NOW!” He screamed into the radio as he began to cut across the back of the stage itself, dodging sets, ropes, wires, cables and startled stage hands. Oh God, let them get to him before he had a chance to get a shot off.

He’d finally reached the opposite side of the stage when he heard the distinct crack of a gunshot and his blood ran cold. There were screams and sounds of panic coming from the crowd and Alec flew out onto the stage.

Standing on the very edge of it, aiming a powerful looking gun right at Magnus, was Raphael. He saw Alec come running out onto the stage ad turned the barrel towards him.

“NO Alec, stay back. This is between him and me. Don’t think that getting your goons up here will help either. I have a remote in my pocket that will trigger several rounds of explosives that I’ve hidden in here and they will do a lot of damage so tell em to BACK OFF!” He yelled over the sound of the audience who were pouring out of the exits in a panicked rush. Alec saw that some of the other guards were trying to keep order to save anyone getting trampled.  A couple of them had started creeping up the stairs to the stage behind Raphael and had paused but now Alec just shook his head at them and they backed down.

“Don’t be an idiot, Raphael, the police would have been alerted to this by now. They’ll be here any minute.” Alec say, holding his hands up. His eyes flickered to Magnus who looked like he’d just been told the worst news of his life.

“Why, why are you doing this? I thought we were friends? I’m sorry for the other day. I let my emotions over take my clear thinking but……” He said shaking his head in disbelief, but Raphael cut him off.

“I don’t give a shit about the other day. It was typical you, Magnus, letting your feelings over rule your head. Friends, ha. Yeah that’s always been the problem. You’ve always been so caught up in yourself that you couldn’t see what was right in front of you, Magnus.” Raphael spat at him. He made the word ‘feelings’ sound like something bad. Alec saw Magnus cringe a little at the accusation. He felt his skin prickling, never a good sign. This was going to get ugly real fast and he needed to try to do something before it did.

Alec attempted to take a step further towards Magnus. Like earlier with Raj, he was willing to dive in front of him if it looked like the man was going to fire the gun at him.

“I’ve always been grateful for your friendship, I don’t get it. What have I missed?” Magnus said, and he looked over to Alec and gave a small shake of his head. Clearly, he thought that he could talk the guy out of whatever it was that he had planned.

“So many things, Magnus. Right from the get-go almost. All the years that I handled your life for you, dealt with all those poor fools that you dragged back to the apartment to sleep with and then toss out like discarded trash. I was expected to make them disappear, get rid of them so that you could have your celebrity image as undamaged as possible.” Raphael fired at him, his voice low and deep and deadly even. Alec remembered that tone from the dealings he’d had with the former PA at Magnus’ apartment. He felt his muscles coiling, getting ready to react to even the slightest hint of any further threat to Magnus. It was killing him to have to stand here and let this fool put the man he loved in danger like this.

“Yes, and I appreciate everything that you did for me. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Magnus acknowledged. Alec could tell by the look on his face he still wasn’t sure why this was happening and so could Raphael and it was starting to make him irritated.

“Clueless as usual. Jesus, Magnus. Do I have to spell it out for you? I love with you.” He hurled the words at him like a weapon and the effect was almost the same. Alec looked at Magnus and saw that he’d gone very pale under the stage make up and he was in utter disbelief. He truly had no idea how his friend had felt about him.

Suddenly, the noise in the arena seemed to drop away. The three of them stared at each other, lost for words.

“Raph, I had…. I’ve never….” Magnus’ voice was shaking, and he couldn’t get his words to come out the way he wanted.

“Don’t bother, Magnus. I know you don’t feel about me the way I do about you. I’m not stupid. And don’t get too flustered over it. I said I loved you, I’m not IN love with you. It’s different. But it still hurt to see you falling for this clueless dipshit over here.” Raphael’s blazing eyes turned momentarily towards Alec and even though he was clearly afraid of what his old friend would do, Magnus frowned at the name calling.

“Shouldn’t you be happy for me, that I found someone to love after all these years of meaningless hook-ups?” Magnus said. He looked towards Alec and even though he was primed and ready to do whatever had to be done to end this madness, Alec saw the very hint of a smile on Magnus’ lips and he felt it spark inside him.

“Yeah, well, I suppose I should, but all I could see was you wiping me over him. All those years I was there for you, picking up the pieces of your life when it all went wrong, helping you to get your career started, being supportive, and then it was like you didn’t see me as anything but an employee anymore.

The only time we got to talk together was for you to give me orders to do something for you, work related, and I miss our friendship so bad. Your success happened so quickly, Magnus and I felt left behind. I only agreed to be your assistant, so I could at least stay by your side. I hate to think what things would have been like if I hadn’t. I’ve never of gotten to see you or spend time with you.”

The worst part of

The worst part of what Raphael had just said was the fact that Alec could hear the pain in his voice and see the hurt in his eyes. He really meant what he was saying. He understood the reason why he was doing this now, but it didn’t stop it from being totally wrong.

Magnus was at a complete loss. Alec could tell from the look on his face that he was struggling to find the right words, to say something that wouldn’t make things worse.

“Raphael, I sorry. So so sorry if I’ve done this to you, it was never my intention to. Your friendship means so much to me, you are my rock, Raph, always have been. Loving Alec would never have changed that. It’s just that ever since I met him you’ve been different and I………..”

Raphael’s face reddened and his eyes blazed. “There was a reason for that, you fucking idiot! I could see the attraction between you two and I knew things were going to get out of hand and I’d be left with picking up the pieces all over again. I couldn’t do it again, I just couldn’t. I thought by getting some hired clueless thug to investigate things and attempt to keep you ‘safe’ that I could bring you back to me. Ha! Boy did that back fire on me.” He let out a bark of mirthless laughter and shook his head.

Magnus frowned at him, confused. “What are you saying? That bringing in Alec was just for show? What about Raj and the threats he’d been sending me and the kidnapping today? How serious did you want things to get and did you honestly expect Alec to be that ineffective?”

“I set the thing up with Raj months ago, Magnus. I wanted to shake you up a bit, knock you off your perch a bit to make you see that life wasn’t as perfect as you made it out to be. I hired Alec so that you would think that you were really in danger and then hopefully it would push you closer to me again. But that’s where I fucked it all up, hiring this asshole that turns out to be probably the only gay bodyguard in the city, even if he was in denial about it.” He shot Alec another disgusted look.

Alec wanted to lunge at him and take his head off. He fisted his hands so hard by his side that his knuckles were aching. How fucking dare he do this to Magnus, to him. The guy was so totally out of line.

Magnus was still trying to get his head around what he was saying. “I don’t believe this, you set Raj up to do this. After everything we’ve been through, after all those years f friendship.” Alec felt his heart squeeze for the pain and disbelief in his man’s eyes. It must be shattering to learn that the one person who you had thought of as always being there for you wasn’t who you thought they were.

“Raphael, I’m sorry really. How many times do I have to tell you this to make you stop all this? I’ll try harder, I’ll do more…….”

“NO! NO! the time for all that is over, Magnus. I’ve had enough. I want you to experience just a small amount of the pain that you’ve caused me over the years. It seems to be the only time you really respond to me at all.” Raphael screamed at him.

His hands shook as they raised the gun a little higher, aimed right at his chest and Alec’s breath hitched in his throat. Dear god, he was actually going to shoot his best friend, the person he just said that he loved. The guy was crazy.

“Raphael, don’t be stupid, hurting him isn’t going to make things right.” Alec said, trying to move a step closer to ready himself to either throw his body in front of Magnus’ or crash tackle the lunatic with the gun.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP LIGHTWOOD! I MADE A HUGE ERROR IN JUDGEMENT BRINGING YOU INTO THE PICTURE. THINGS WERE BETTER WITHOUT YOU AND NOW HE THINKS HE’S IN LOVE WITH YOU! HA! WHAT A FRIGGIN’ JOKE! YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I’VE HEARD HIM SAY THAT TO OTHERS?”

The sound of distant sirens could be heard, and Alec knew he had to act fast before the police got there, busting in on an already delicate situation.

A small creek from behind him made Raphael turn. One of the guards was trying to come at him from behind but Raphael rounded on him and fired. Magnus gave a cry but the shot didn’t find it’s mark but it stopped the young man in his tracks.

“Stay right there, you fool! Or the next one won’t miss!” Raphael yelled back at him.

 While he still had his back to him, Alec took the opportunity to hurl himself at Raphael. He was one step away from him when he turned back around and the gun swung in his direction. Alec’s feet had left the floor as he launched his body towards the crazed man.

The sound of yet another shot echoed around the arena as Alec made contact with Raphael’s body. With a hard thump they hit the floor and Alec pinned the arm with the gun before he used his weight to immobilise him.

The young guard rushed up the steps towards them and helped him get Raphael secured.

“Alec! Jesus, Alec, you’re bleeding!”

Alec had been so focused on bringing the assailant down that he hadn’t realised that he’d been hit.

Magnus was pulling him back and trying to get him to sit on the stage as he was pulling at his shirt sleeve. It was then that Alec began to feel the warm wetness running down his arm from his shoulder. A red river was appearing from under his sleeve and now a deep burning pain was beginning to make its presence felt.

“Oh god, baby, we have to stop this bleeding, quick, take off your shirt and I’ll use it to put pressure on it.” Magnus’ voice was trembling and his face was ashen and a mask of worry.

“Magnus, I’ll be okay, I have to get Raph….”

That’s when Alec’s world went into a tail spin.

A third shot rang out and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Something warm and wet hit Alec’s face and he reflexively screwed up his eyes. When he opened them again, Magnus was no longer by his side, but on the floor. A large bloom of redness forming on the left side of his upper chest.

He didn’t recognise the inhuman sound that that filled his ears as his own as he threw himself over to where Magnus was laying. He gave the briefest of looks towards Raphael who looked as shocked as he was at what had happened. He was sitting on the stage, staring at the gun as it dropped from his hand. The guard was scrambling up from the floor, a deep red mark forming on his face where Raphael must have hit him to get free.

The sound of the sirens where louder now and then there was yelling and the sound of running feet.

Alec wasn’t paying attention to anything but the sight of his boyfriend as he lay bleeding on the stage. Alec was beside himself. He tugged his shirt very his head and pushed it hard against the wound. His breath coming in heavy gasping pants. His own injury forgotten.

“Magnus! Oh god, Magnus! It’ll be alright. I’ll make it alright. Just don’t…. fuck!...... Magnus, babe, I love you, stay awake for me, okay!” Alec heard the words as they poured out of him as he looked down at his face. He was so pale and so still. Oh God in heaven, don’t let him die!! He had to know that he loved him beyond life itself.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter, folks. Thanks for those that have stuck with this fic and i hope you liked it. Sorry its taken me so long to get this last one up but life is never dull at my place.

Time had no meaning for Alec right now. Nothing mattered except for Magnus and the constant yearning for him to wake up. 

It had been 12 hours since he had been shot and it could have been 12 days or 12 years. Alec didn’t care. He hadn’t left his bedside since he had arrived at the hospital. If they hadn’t of held him back, he would have been right there by his side in the operating room. 

He hadn’t slept, he’d barely eaten, his whole focus was on the man he loved and willing him back. 

The past hours were now a blur. The memory of the police rushing the stage to grab Raphael who still looked as stunned as the rest of them at what he’d done. Alec vaguely remembered seeing his white face sweaty and shaking as he shook his head in denial of his actions as the police dragged him to his feet, cuffing his wrists.

Paramedics materialised from somewhere and began to work on Magnus’ still form. Alec was crying, yelling, screaming at him to come back to him, that he loved him and didn’t want to let him go. His normal golden coloured skin that Alec loved so much was a horrible colour and the sight of the large red stain on his clothes coming out from under the waded up shirt that he’d pressed to the gun shot wound. 

The only relief he had in that moment was the paramedic telling him that he was alive, but he’d lost a lot of blood and needed immediate care. They lifted him onto a gurney and Alec rushed beside him, bare chested and bleeding himself where the bullet had ploughed a deep groove in his upper arm.   
Somehow by the time he got to the hospital, he had gotten a bandage over his injury but he wasn’t worried about himself, his entire focus was on Magnus and praying for his recovery. 

They took him straight into surgery and two wards men had to hold him back. Police had followed them to the hospital and barraged him with questions about what had happened. Alec tried to answer them to the best of his ability, but his mind was a mess and all he wanted to do was to find out how Magnus was.   
He had no idea how long he paced the waiting room for. At some stage, Margret came, bringing him a fresh shirt and a cup of strong coffee. She managed to get him to settle for a while and they sat together, the kindly housekeeper rubbing small circles on his back. 

It wasn’t long of course, that the press found out what had happened and the hospital were forced to post security to the entrance and the waiting room. Alec could hear them calling for a statement, anything to let the public know what had happened to the famous illusionist. 

Aldertree turned up and looked stunned at the sight of Alec Lightwood a pale, dishevelled agitated mess. It was a new experience for him as well as Alec. He’d never experienced anything like this before, but then again, he’d never fallen in love with a client before. 

Just before the doctor came into the room, Jace turned up to offer comfort and support for his friend. He thought Alec was a mess because his client had been hurt on his detail, but he had no idea that things ran far deeper than that. 

Alec’s heart stopped, and his breath left his body when the doors opened and the doctor came in. He rushed over to him, silently preying that there would finally be some good news.

He told him that he had come through the operation well and that the bullet had nicked a vein, causing the large blood loss and that if it had hit him half an inch lower it would have pierced his lung. Magnus had been very lucky in the respect that he only sustained tissue damage and that they had been able to stop the bleeding in time. He was going to be alright. 

“I want to see him. I need to be with him when he wakes up.” Alec said, still too agitated to take in the good news. He wouldn’t be truly happy until he was by his side once more. 

“He’s in recovery and he’ll be moved to a room in a couple of hours. Why don’t you go home, get some rest and come back in the morning? You look like you’ve had a rough night.” The doctor suggested, taking in Alec’s pale, sweaty face and even though Margaret had brought him a clean shirt, his pants still had smudges of blood on them. 

Alec didn’t even hesitate, he immediately shook his head and set his mouth in a hard-determined line. 

“No, I’m not going anywhere. I have to be there for him and be here when he wakes up.” He said, his voice had a hard edge to it that the doctor must have recognised as something not to be argued with. He gave him a small knowing smile and a brief touch of his hand on his upper arm, his brow creasing when he saw Alec flinch.

“Are you hurt? Why didn’t you say anything?” He started to pull up Alec’s sleeve to reveal the stained bandage that the paramedics had applied some time during their dash to the hospital. 

“It’s nothing. Magnus was more important then this scratch.” Alec said, wanting to brush it off. 

He was surprised at himself when he let out a small hiss of pain when the doctor took off the bandage and began examining the wound.   
“I think it’s a little more serious then a scratch. This needs stitches. Come on, follow me to the E.R and I’ll treat it for you.” Alec shook his head.

“It can wait, I want to see Magnus.” 

“No, it can’t wait or this could very easily get infected and as I said, he’s going to be in recovery for a while longer.” The doctor said, fixing him with a stern look. 

Alec so focused on his injured boyfriend that he couldn’t think of anything else but with a resigned sigh he begrudgingly followed the doctor out and around to the nearest treatment room. 

He sat on the side of the exam table while he readied the necessary supplies and equipment, still feeling the effects of the powerful adrenaline surge that had come with trying to protect Magnus. But he hadn’t had he. He had slipped up and allowed the one man who had captured his heart to get hurt, almost killed.  
Self-loathing and disgust at his apparent ‘failure’ in his duties was the on other thing on his mind right now. He did feel it when the doctor cleaned the deep defect in his upper arm or when he deadened the area with the needle in several spots around the wound. 

“You know, from what I was told, you did all you could to save him.” The doctor’s voice was calm and quiet as he worked with gloved hands, suturing his torn flesh. 

Alec’s head came around to look at him in surprise. Jesus, could the guy read his mind as well? 

“No I didn’t I fucked up and failed my job. He wasn’t supposed to get hurt like that. It should have been me taking that bullet, not him.” Alec said, keeping his eyes down on his fidgeting hands. He could feel his eyes prickling with angry unshed tears and he’d be damned if he was going to go to pieces in front of a stranger, doctor or otherwise. 

“Do you feel that way about everyone you protect? And I have to disagree with you, if you hadn’t been blocking the shot the way you were, that bullet might have found it’s mark and we’d be having an entirely different discussion. I think you did your best.” 

Alec was adamantly shaking his head. “I would it have rather it been me. Not Magnus. Seeing him bleeding and hurt like that……….well it was…….it was never supposed of been the outcome for this detail.” 

“Neither was falling in love with him either, I bet.” 

Alec’s eyes widened, and he looked at the doctor’s knowing expression. He started to shake his head to deny it, but the man put a hand lightly on his shoulder. 

“Alec, what you feel for that man was written all over your face from the minute you walked in beside the gurney. I was afraid that we’d have to surgically removed your hand from his to get him to the O.R. It’s alright, I think it’s wonderful that he has someone that loves him that much to see him through this and I know you’re probably worried about what your superiors will think about it but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“But it was my job to protect him, and I couldn’t and……….” Something in the gentle calming tone of this doctor had seeped into Alec’s fractured mind and he felt those traitorous tears beginning to fall down his cheeks. 

“Alec, I’ve already told you, it could have been a lot worse. Magnus will recover from this and he’ll do it a lot faster with you by his side.”   
Alec sniffed, trying to halt the emotion running down his face and nodded his head in agreement, although he wouldn’t be completely convinced of anything until he got to talk to Magnus himself. 

The doctor put a large dressing over his repaired arm and smiled at him. 

“There. Another scar to add to your collection. Yes, I saw them when you came in. Maybe now you have a significant other, it might be time to think of a career change?” 

Alec hadn’t ever entertained the idea of being anything other than a body guard, but the man had a point. But then, all that was subject to whatever came next for him and Magnus. Alec’s greatest fear was that he would wake up and send him away from not for filling his end of the contract to keep him out of harm’s way. 

After another agonising hour and a half wait with Margaret in the small waiting room, he was ushered into the darkened hospital room where they had taken Magnus. Margret was with him, hand firmly held in hers, as they stood beside his narrow bed. Monitors and equipment blinked and pinged on and off in the softly lit gloom. Alec wanted to just gather his prone form into his arms and hold him to his body, willing his recovery with everything he had. 

They took seats next to the bed, Alec sitting one side and Margaret the other. Alec couldn’t help himself, he had to touch him. He reached out and gently put his hand under his so that he didn’t disturb the IV line and the pulse clip on his finger.   
They sat in silence together, both wishing him to open his eyes but as the time ticked on, there was no change. 

“You should get some sleep, Alec. You look exhausted. I can wait here with him.” Margret said softly after a while. Alec shook his head, his eyes not leaving Magnus’ still face. 

“No, you go. I can’t go anywhere.” 

If Margaret thought about arguing the point, she didn’t give any hint of it. The tone of Alec’s voice was enough for anyone within listening range that he meant what he said. 

She wished him good night, and after bending over and placing a small motherly kiss to Magnus; brow, she left. 

Alec searched his face for any sign that he might be rousing but there was still none. Oh god help him, what of he never woke up, doctors weren’t infallible, they got it wrong sometimes. Never getting the opportunity to tell him that he was so sorry for allowing him to be hurt like this and that he still loved him with all his heart was the worst-case scenario for Alec. 

At some point, he didn’t know when, Aldertree came into the room, looking concerned. 

“How’s he doing?” He asked.

“The same. Nothing’s changed.” Alec said, not meeting his boss’s gaze. He hoped the edge he tried to put on his voice was enough to convince the man that he was just being a concerned and caring guard. 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Alec. And for what it’s worth, I’ve been over everything that the police gave me and told me about what happened, and you did your best. You have nothing to worry about in that regard.”

He knew that the news should have given him a little peace amid the chaos of his shattered nerves and feelings but it was cold comfort. And it would only get worse when Aldertree found out about their relationship. 

“They told me that Santiago said that the two of you were together, as in, together together. Is that true?” 

And there it was, the one question that Alec had been dreading from his boss but hoping that he wouldn’t hear it until he knew for sure that Magnus was going to be alright, so he could at least think straight. 

But he wasn’t straight, he never was. But ow wasn’t the time to have this talk. 

“Wouldn’t that be stupid. I wouldn’t put too much stock into what that crazy bastard said, clearly he wasn’t in his right mind or he wouldn’t have shot his supposed best friend.” Again, Alec didn’t look in Aldertree’s direction. A lie tasted better on your tongue when you washed it down with a large serving of denial. 

“You could be right there. Sounded crazy to me too. Listen, I’ll let you get back to… whatever it is you think you need to do here and just let me know when your ready for your next assignment.” He patted Alec on the back of the shoulder. “Don’t worry buddy, can’t win ‘em all.” 

Alec felt his gut clench at the words. He made it sound like he’d just lost a round of golf or something. The truth was he nearly had lost it all; Magnus was his all, his everything and in that moment, he was glad that he hadn’t just witnessed his out and out denial of his true feelings for him. 

Time seemed to either drag or speed up for Alec in the coming hours. Sometime around dawn, Margaret had returned to gently wake him and bring him a sandwich and a coffee. He was going to refuse it but she had that way of convincing you that you needed to do what she had asked. It didn’t matter, Alec couldn’t taste anything anyway. 

Magnus was still unconscious, and in spite of the reassurances of the nursing staff and a return visit from the doctor telling him that he could open his eyes at any minute, Alec’s frayed nerves and tensed shoulders remained his constant companions. Everything ached; his shoulders, his back, his head, his body. His heart. But he refused to leave until Magnus woke. 

Jace was even recruited to try to get him to go home and get a few hours sleep. He looked worriedly at his friend’s haunted eyes with there dark smudges underneath the hazel and the deep shadow of his beard as his stubble filled in. The rest of his face was milky white and drawn looking. 

“For the hundredth time, Jace, I’m not going anywhere until he wakes up.” Alec said to him, growing even more irritated by his friend. 

“The doc said he’d call you the minute he did, buddy. Come on, you’ve never worried about a client like this before why start now. Jesus, the way you’re going, you’re gonna end up in a bed right along beside him.” 

Alec turned on him like a cornered tiger. “I’ve never let a client get shot right in front of me before, that’s what’s different.” Alec growled through gritted teeth. His over tiredness and jangling nerves were stretching his patience wire thin. 

“But it wasn’t your fault, you’ve been told that. You should be grateful it wasn’t you and move on.”

That did it. Alec flew up from the chair at the side of the bed and rounded on Jace. 

“That’s exactly what I DO wish for, every fucking second that he lays there like that. That it HAD of been me. Don’t tell me how to feel about this, Jace, you have no fucking idea.” 

“Then tell me what I’m missing about this whole thing, Alec? Cause I’m at a loss here.” Jace threw his hands up in the air. 

Alec had reached breaking point. All the stress and anxiety, the lack of sleep, he was feeling had finally gotten to critical overload and his next words came flying out of him before he could stop them. 

“It’s because I love him, Jace! I’m in love with him. I’m gay, I’ve always been gay, but I’ve never told you so now you know.” Alec’s voice was louder than he’d meant it to be but the waver in it was filled with his pent-up emotions. 

A nurse put her head inside the door, frowning. “I’m going to have to ask you gentlemen to keep it down please.” She cautioned. Alec immediately realised what he’d just revealed and felt his legs starting to buckle. Oh, holy shit, what had he done?

Jace was looking at him like he’d just told him he was really an alien from Venus or something. 

Alec supported himself on the end of the bed, taking in deep breaths and willing himself not to pass out. Words were non-refundable, once they were out there into the universe, they couldn’t be taken back, not truly. 

“Alec, I…………” Jace said after a full five minutes or more. 

“What shocks you more, Jace, that I like guys or that I fell in love with a client?” 

“Neither, Alec. It’s that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about either of those things.” 

Now Alec could add yet another thing to his list of offenses, being a terrible friend. 

Before he could stop himself, Alec felt tears streaming down his face and he felt a thousand years old. Oh god, he just wanted to sleep and wake up from this nightmare that was his reality at the moment. When he thought of how happy he’d been only a day ago when he had woken up in Magnus’ huge comfortable bed, with the dark red silk sheets, his golden toned body pressed against him and that wonderful ‘Magnus’ scent filling his nostrils, he wanted to groan in agony for the loss of it. 

Jace went to his shattered friend and put his arms around him, just holding him. 

“I’m so fucking sorry, Jace. For not telling you, for not letting myself trust you enough to tell you. It’s all so new to me, and so damn overwhelming, I feel like I can’t breathe from thinking about it. There was Aldertree and……..” Alec started but Jace quietened him, rubbing his back and shooshing him like a small child.

“It’s alright, buddy. Don’t worry about it now. And it makes no matter to me that you’re gay, just makes me feel like a dick that I didn’t realise it myself and I’ve been trying to set you up with those girls before.” 

For the first time in what felt like forever, Alec smiled against his friend’s shoulder. 

“No, it was me being the dick, I’ve been hiding it for so long now I think I had nearly convinced myself that I was straight.” Alec sniffed.

“Yeah but if I’d been a better friend I’d……”

“Two men fighting over me, oh god I must have died and gone to heaven.” 

Alec’s head whipped around so fast he saw stars. Magnus was awake! His large brown eyes, heavy lidded but the most wonderful thing Alec had seen in days, were looking right at them. 

He let out a strangled cry of pure happiness and rushed over to the side of the bed. Magnus’ eyes never leaving him once and he raised a hand weakly to him as he bent forward, not caring that Jace was standing there watching them, and Alec gently brushed his lips to his. Magnus hummed in delight and seemed to relax into the bed. 

“I missed you, my love.” He whispered, touching Alec’s cheek with his fingers. 

Alec felt all the tiredness and all the guilt wash out of him, like a retreating tide. He was awake! He had his man back. Well, sort of. 

”I missed you too, babe. I love you, I’ve been so worried.” He confessed in a soft voice. 

“It would take more than mere bullets to take me away from you, my heart.” He looked over at a rather red faced Jace who looked like he’d found his shoes extremely interesting. 

“You must be Jace, the BFF. Hi, I’m Magnus Bane, the new BF. Forgive me if I don’t shake your hand just yet. I’m sure we’ll be getting to know one another in the near future.”

Jace gave him a bashful smile. “Ha, yeah, that’s okay, you have a good excuse for not doing it. It’s nice to meet you. I’m a big fan actually.” 

“Thank you so much. I’m a big fan of your friend here.” Magnus turned to face Alec and gave him a soft slow smile, squeezing his hand. Alec looked like he was about to melt against the bed; he bent forward and kissed his boyfriend tenderly. 

“You need to pipe down and get some rest. Talking can wait until you feel better.” Alec said. 

“My darling, I haven’t spoken a word in twenty-four hours, that’s some kind of record for me. And by the way, I could feel you near me, it helped. Not that I had any intentions of going anywhere.” Magnus said. 

Alec felt like his heart was about to burst with love for this man. He was tired, dirty and emotionally drained but it had all been worth every second to see those deep chocolate brown eyes looking back at him again. But there was still that nagging twinge of doubt in his mind that he hadn’t for filled the brief of keeping him safe and free of harm. As weak and unwell as Magnus was, somehow, he seemed to be able to sense that Alec was troubled and what was causing it. 

“Alexander, I don’t want you thinking that you didn’t protect me. It could have been a lot worse, you could have not been there at all and Raphael might of gotten away with doing what he’d come there to do, although I still believe that he wouldn’t of gone through with it. I saw his face when the gun went off, he was as surprised as I was. He let his emotions cloud his judgement and now, unfortunately, he will be paying for it for some time I imagine.” 

“Magnus, you need to stop worrying about this now and concentrate on getting better. You lost a lot of blood.” Alec said, although he felt a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders. 

He knew that even though Magnus didn’t blame him in any way for what happened, he’d always have a small amount of guilt about it. Maybe it was even enough to second guess his future in security work. But he was way too tired and wrung out to figure all that out now. 

“Jace, you need to take my man home and get him showered, fed and into bed. He looks worse than I do at this point.” Magnus said, pulling Alec’s hand up to his lips and kissing the back of his knuckles. 

Alec started to protest but Magnus threatened to get agitated so with great reluctance, he kissed him good bye and let Jace lead him out of the room. 

“Sleep well, my Alexander, I love you.” Magnus said, just before they went out the door. As wrecked as he felt, Magnus’ words gave Alec the illusion of walking on air all the way to Jace’s car. And of course, he fielded a barrage of questions from his old friend all the way back to Magnus’ penthouse. 

“I really wish you’d come stay at my place where I can keep an eye on you.” Jace said again when they had reached the underground carpark. 

“Nah, I just want to clean up and crawl into bed and sleep for a couple of hundred years. And believe me, Margaret will keep an eye on me. She’s like another mom.” Alec heaved himself out of the car, now that he no longer had the worry of Magnus not waking up hanging around his neck, he was bone weary and sore. Before he turned for the elevator, he bent into the window of the car.

“Jace, I just wanted to say thanks for being so understanding about all this. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I was a bad friend.”   
“Hey, it’s alright buddy, and you can make it up to me later somehow. I’m sure I can think of something you can do that will make you squirm a little.” Jace hit him with his brightest cheesy smile. Alec knew that he’d be in for it, but he just smiled back and shook his head. 

Magnus was in hospital for a week and Alec went in every day to be with him, in spite of him grumbling about it. By the forth day, Magnus was trying to convince the doctor that he was well enough to go home, but he made him stay the full week. 

The press had camped outside the hospital grounds, waiting for him to reappear into the world again, but Alec’s security firm kept them at bay and when he finally was released, they managed to allude all of them and get back to the penthouse safely and undetected. 

Over the next few days, Alec became Magnus’s own private nurse, helping him shower, dress, getting his meals for him when Margaret had left, and generally fussing over him. Slowly, Magnus’s face showed better colour and the glow to his golden tone came back along with his stubbornness. 

He hated being ill and kept wanting to do things for himself, but Alec insisted that he let him help. Whether he liked it or not. Alec had arranged with Aldertree to take time off and use his annual leave so that he could stay with him. He knew that his boss didn’t get why he would want to do such a thing, and that he would have to talk to him about it, but he wanted to get Magnus back to his old self first. 

Even though Magnus kept saying that he was fine, and for the most part he was. The trauma of being shot, even supposedly by accident had taken a tole on him more than he wanted to admit. 

Alec often saw him when he thought he was alone looking troubled and worried, gazing off into the distance but seeing nothing before him. The nightmares were the worst. They didn’t happen every night, but when they did, it tore Alec apart to see the man he loved writhing and crying out, twisted up in the sheets, his face pale and sweaty. 

Alec would take him into his arms and hold him close, feeling his strong but still wounded body shaking against his in the dark. He’d smooth back his damp hair and put tender kisses on his forehead, gently crooning soft words of endearment and love to him until he settled once more and fell back to sleep.   
Alec own sleep was plagued with images of that night as well. There were different scenarios that played out in his restless dreams; Magnus getting shot worse than he was, getting shot himself, seeing it all happen from a distance and not being able to get to him was the worst one. He already felt bad that it happened at all so this particular nightmare didn’t help at all. 

Magnus had regular check-ups and the doctor was pleased with his progress. He did suggest that he should see a therapist that specialised in traumatic events but Magnus outrightly refused to do it. Telling the doctor that as long as he had his Alexander, he would be fine. Alec just hoped that he would be enough. 

One of the more positive aspects of Magnus’ forced slow down was that they were able for the first time since they began their fledgling relationship, they were able to get to know one another a little more. Sitting on the balcony late in the afternoons sharing a bottle of wine, they sat together on a large comfortable overstuffed chaise lounge.

“Can I ask you something about your, um, ability?” Alec said one day as he gently stroked his fingers up and down Magnus’ arm as he lay against his chest, soaking up the last of the day’s sun. 

“Of course, Alexander, and you can call it magic of you like, I don’t care.” Magnus said, with a small chuckle. 

“Well, if you can use your magic to defend yourself, like you did that day against Raphael, why did you need me in the first place? I mean, couldn’t you have dealt with any threats yourself?” 

“There are two reasons why, my love, the first being, Raphael hired you, not me. I was against it, as you probably remember from our first few conversations but as much as I resented him going over my head and hiring you to be my body guard, I’m so very glad he did.” He bent his head back, smiling at Alec and he bent down to kiss him softly. 

“And the second reason?”

“My abilities have always been subject to my emotional state. It took me a while to work that out in my younger years, and it’s still a fine balance hence the reason why I like to have about twenty minutes to myself before I go on stage. It’s failed me a few times, in situations when I’ve been genuinely afraid or scared out of my wits. Anger is a different thing, then it tends to turn nasty.” 

“Have you every thought about trying to find out about why you can do it?” 

“No, because the thought of being turned into a lab experiment really doesn’t appeal and I’d rather be well known for being a first rate illusionist then some kind of freak of nature.” 

Alec could understand where he was coming from; when you had the ability to do real magic, you would feel enough of an outsider to everyone else around you. 

All too soon, Aldertree called Alec, wanting him to come down to the office. He still had a week to go on his allotted leave, but he knew he’d been putting things off for too long now. 

He felt tenser than an over stretched elastic band as he walked into the office and sat down opposite his boss. 

“So, Alec, how are things going? I hear Mr Bane is recovering well. I see no further need for you to spend anymore time with him once your leave it up. Time to move on.” Aldertree said, business like. 

Alec gathered his thoughts and his strength before he answered. 

“Victor, I’m afraid it isn’t that simple.” 

Aldertree looked at him and frowned, clearly having no idea what he meant. 

“I beg to differ, Lightwood. He was a client and now he isn’t. You are not beholding to him any longer. It’s been explained to you time and time again that you did your duty to the best of your ability. Staying with the man out of some sort of misguided sense of guilt isn’t necessary.”

Alec looked at his clenched hands. “I’m not staying with him because of that.”

“Then why?”

Here it came, the moment Alec had been putting off for so long now. He looked at his boss. 

“It’s because things have changed between Magnus and me. You were right that day at the hospital, we are in a relationship.”

Saying the words, putting them out there like that felt like he’d been holding his breath for a long time and had been on the verge of blacking out and then finally letting it out, ridding himself of the toxic air. 

Victor still looked lost. It was definitely not the answer he’s been expecting. Alec knew that to make his meaning perfectly clear, he was going to have to figuratively hit the man over the head with the explanation. 

“I’m in love with Magnus, Victor. And he is in love with me.” 

It had the desired effect and Aldertree’s eyes grew wide with shock. “But I…..you’ve never said……” he flustered. 

“That I was gay? No, no one knew not even Jace. I didn’t want my sexuality to be a factor in how I did my job. If anything, it made me try harder. And before you say anything, I had no intentions of this happening with a client, Magnus Bane or anyone else for that matter. It just did. I know I broke the rules and I’m prepared to face the consequences for that.”

This time, it was Victor Aldertree letting out a deep breath. He stood up from his chair and came around to the front of the desk, so he was right in front of Alec. 

“Let’s not be too worried about breaking rules, Alec. I think I’ve known you long enough to know that falling for a client wouldn’t have been something you set out to do, Mr Bane’s fame aside. You’ve always been a sensible guy. I trust you in that.” 

“I fought it, believe me. I freaked me completely out to feel like that about him, but there was just something about Magnus that made it impossible to ignore.” He stood up from his own chair and faced Victor.

“I’m beyond being able to not be with him, Victor. If I have to quite because of it, I will.” He set his jaw and looked the other man right in the eye. 

Aldertree surprised him then by giving him a soft smile and putting a fatherly hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Alec. I’m not some monster that wants to go around busting up couples because of the circumstances. The heart wants what the heart wants, I get it. More than you think. You see, when I first started out in this industry, I was like you in the respect that I wanted to follow the rules to the letter, go as far as I could be the best I could be. 

Then, about twelve years ago, I took a job guarding a diplomat’s daughter. Alec, she was like Christmas morning, birthdays and sunshine combined to me. It was as if she had a direct line to my heart and mine to hers and I was gone. Oh, I was like you, I fought it every step of the way and it wasn’t until it was almost too late that I gave in to the way I felt and allowed myself to love her.” 

Alec was stunned. “So, what happened?”

“A registry office wedding, a pokey little apartment and two kids, that’s what happened, and I don’t regret a minute.” 

Alec returned his smile and for the first time since he’d walked in the door, he felt totally relaxed. Now there was a small spark of something bright inside him that he hadn’t let himself have before now. It was the start of an all abiding happiness that was threatening to turn him into a big dopey puddle of gooey feels and it was taking everything he had not to jump right out of his chair and go running top speed back to Magnus to tell him and to be with him.

“Go home, Alec, be with the man you love. Don’t worry, I’m not going to fire you for this. I think that would be hypocritical. We can talk about how we are going to go forward next week.” Victor stuck out his hand and Alec took it, shaking it gratefully. 

“Thanks, Victor.” He said and after a brief thankful look, he headed out the door. 

Alec came through the door and found Magnus standing in front of the balcony doors. He was wearing a silk robe or deep blue, hanging open and giving Alec a magnificent view of bare, golden torso, the waist band of his matching pyjama pants hiding the rest of his toned body down to his bare feet, poking out from the cuffs. 

There was something about how he was standing there, one arm still in a large sling, a bandage still covering the place where Raphael’s momentary lack of control had pierced his skin and almost caused Alec’s biggest heartache. His face looked back at him anxiously, the soft curtain blew out gently behind him in the mid-morning breeze. Alec thought in that very moment that his heart was going to burst from his love for this magical, wonderful man. 

“Well? What did he say? Do I out your name on the pay roll?” Magnus asked. Alec came over to him and gently as he could, took him into his arms and held him close, mindful of his injury. He raised a hand and took his chin in his fingers, and then took his mouth with his in a kiss that had as much of his love he was feeling in it as he could pour into it. 

He felt Magnus respond, and it was several minutes before they finally broke apart, only so far as to be able to look deep into each other’s eyes.  
“It okay, Magnus. Everything is okay.” Alec smiled.

“I had n doubt that it would be, my heart. I love you, Alexander Gideon Lightwood.” Magnus said softly, the love he had inside for his former body guard shining brightly from him in every possible way. 

“I love you too, Magnus Bane and the only position I want right now is to be right here, by your side.” Alec said, rubbing a finger down the side of Magnus’ beaming face. 

“You’re hired.” He said, and kissed him again, feeling safe in the knowledge that his heart was now under the total protection of Alec’s own.


End file.
